Please Teach Me How
by American-Pisces
Summary: What happens when a broken girl is forced away from the only life she has known and thrown into the insanity that is True Cross Academy? Well, Sera is about to find out. (AU, eventual RinxOC)
1. Every Tale Starts At One

'_Thoughts'_

"**_Flashbacks"_**

**Flashback actions**

**"**Dialogue"

Assiah, the realm of humans, it reeked of innocence and betrayal at the same time. It lacked the dark homey feeling from Gehenna.

'_Tsk, these humans can't even decide on a religion, yet they have all of this splendor at their fingertips, I swear it isn't even fair_.'

She clicked her tongue as her violet eyes focused on her surroundings. She was trained for any kind of infiltration situation, but this seemed ridiculous; why would her boss be interested in a bunch of school kids? Especially exorcist wannabes. What purpose did they serve him? Sera couldn't think of anything, unless there were more complex things demons could do that were beyond her knowledge. She shook off any doubts and jumped down from her tree branch. It was time to get to work in the starry night city in Assiah. As hard as she tried to keep the questions at bay, her mind continually wondered about the reasoning behind this assignment. She wasn't being replaced was she? This felt familiar to her, as if this was how she was found. She blocked any attempts to access any memories, it was pointless anyways. She had nothing, only a few scattered figments hazy as if they were being forgotten with each day; fighting to find memories was pointless at this point. It never did her any good, just tired her out and made her irritable, she didn't have time for that now. Her violet orbs flicked to each passing building searching for any sign, something to show this wasn't a dead end job. Sera turned a corner and smirked; the outline of a large academy caught her eye.

_'__Well, where better to look for students then the prestigious academy that fell into my lap. Let's get this over with, Assiah smells weird.' _

Chapter 1

**The Night of Nights**

'_A campus this big may take a while to scout, and besides I have to stay hidden. No telling where that freak Mephisto is… Hmm, come to think of it I wonder why Boss chose to send me here again. Mephisto wasn't too happy last time I came here to get some kind of sword and ended up destroying half the campus. Ha! That was fun though.'_

She flipped her midnight black braid over her shoulder debating if it should stay down or up. Boss wasn't very specific about her job this time, normally he gave her an entire rundown, and this time was different. Also he hadn't updated her for awhile; he just left her to wander through Tokyo before she found her way here- wherever here really was. Sera sighed and continued walking; it was so late no one should have been outside. It didn't matter though, she had a job to complete. Her entire life so far was spent doing jobs for Boss; she owed him that for saving her when she was young. At least that's what she remembered.

**_"_****_Now what is this? A young girl… no a witch… and not just that, a skin-walker? Your people normally don't tread here, what brings you here?" _**

**A young girl covered in necklaces and rings looked up at the Demon King. Her coyote skin cap covered her eyes, but violet fires stared back at him through the shadows, her hands soaked in blood. She never spoke a word, just gazed intently into the demon's eyes.**

**"****_Already soaked in blood, hm? Whose blood is that?" _**

**He waited a second and cocked his head to the side, tapping his long nails against his chin, amused.**

**_"_****_Not much of a talker, I like that. Well, I might as well make use of you. From this day until your contract termination you are mine and mine alone, in body and soul. Do you understand, my little killer?"_**

**The little girl nodded without saying a word. The Demon King then engulfed the girl in rotten black smoke, filling her lungs.**

She sighed shaking the memory away. She didn't want that memory, she wanted memories of her family- she knew she had to have one, somewhere out there. Sera didn't have many doubts about her Boss since he was always there for her. Hell, he practically raised her -to be a killer, but raised her nonetheless- for as long as she could remember. He'd trained her to be perfect, taken care of her. She trusted him, for as much as that was worth. He wouldn't want her to get killed or badly injured; she was one of his best. She wasn't any use to him dead, or horribly disfigured. Focusing back on her surroundings, Sera made sure that her footsteps didn't echo across the night campus. She was on high alert, just find scouting places and a place to stay, nothing fancy, tonight was just recon. A cold breeze blew past her causing her to shiver; her necklaces jingled as she rubbed her arms with her hands and ice cold rings. She hated the cold. Cold weather sucked. Maybe having a crop top was a bad idea, but it was helpful earlier when it came to blending in. Sera laughed to herself as she remembered some of the short skirt and tank tops she saw a girl wearing earlier, how that one didn't freeze to death was beyond her.

"Quite a night hmm? So, are you here to play with me? Or do I have to find other ways to eliminate my boredom? Wait… you don't look like a student, you smell different."

A monotone voice resonated behind her. Her blood froze, where did that voice come from? Sera could normally sense people or demons before they could lay eyes on her! She snapped around, hand on the knife she kept behind her back. Violet fires scanned the area for the intruding voice.

"Who the hell are you?! Where did you come from?!"

A man- the term being used loosely- stood across from her crouched on a light pole. His green hair spiked up in the middle, his clothes all mismatched and there was nothing human about him. His fangs chewed on the tip of his nails as he stared over Sera's petite form. He was a Demon King, she felt it in her soul; they all gave off a certain resonance.

"I'm Amaimon and I'm bored. Now, are you going to play with me?"

She couldn't help the smirk growing on her face. She did love to fight, and this guy may be the perfect outlet.

'_So he wants to play? Sure, I'll oblige with my knife!'_

She drew her knife from behind her and charged Amaimon as he squealed in joy.

"Oh goody! You're playing with me!"

Both jumped and dodged their way into the nearby forest. Destroying the city would draw too much attention and leave a trace, and that wasn't allowed to happen...not after last time. Sera refuse to let a little skirmish with Amaimon foil her plan. Her skills in martial arts and dagger mastery had no parallel, though with each slash and kick she noticed how strong Amaimon was. His obvious joy from her attempting to fight here was sickening. His ridiculous grin stretching across his face as if it were about to crack down the middle entirely.

'_Damn bastard, I can't even land a hit on him. He's just as fast as I am.'_

"Are you even trying? This is getting boring."

His monotone voice grated on her nerves, now she really wanted to beat the crap out of him.

"Now you're asking for it!"

She tossed her dagger into a nearby tree and let loose a hellish shriek causing shadows to swarm and the smell of rot filled the air. A large rotted paw stepped out of the shadows and howled at Amaimon, her familiar, Actaeon. As faithful as ever, her ghoulish hound charged at Amaimon only to be knocked aside by Behemoth. She didn't mind getting pushed around, but her familiar was another story. She had a unique bond with Actaeon, it wasn't demon and tamer, it was more.

**An enormous ghoul hound steps forward, snarling at the young coyote capped girl.**

**"****Don't be afraid of him, control him, and bend him to your will." The Demon King commands his new underling with a stern tone, though he suspects the hound will resist and kill her. He doesn't care; she has to be strong now. He has no use for a weak underling.**

**The little girl stretches out a small arm, slender like a twig. Her rings seem to be too big on her tiny fingers, but as she extends her hand up straight the hound freezes. The rotten hound tilts its skull, one eye glowing menacingly. The Demon King watches his underling utter one word and smirks as the hound obeys and sits, eyes dimmed to a subservient shade of crimson.**

**"****Very good. Now he will be yours, summon him and he shall fight for you. Use Actaeon well, he is a strong ghoul."**

"Oh yay! Now our pets can play! Now come on before I get bored!"

She charged him with her long black nails and chanted as her rings turned into spikes, no one pissed her off and lived to tell the tale. And no one, human or demon, knocked Actaeon around.

'_Now you've pissed me off! I'll destroy you for pushing Actaeon around!'_

The two tangoed dangerously as trees collapsed and the forest filled with her rotten black smoke. Sera swore she was going to kill this Demon King brat no matter what! It became a hurricane of snarls and punches, kicks and curses. Each step another flirt with disaster. Amaimon jumped down from a nearby tree and kicked her square in the jaw sending her flying backwards. Deep gashes lined the ground as she tried to stop herself with her claws. Sera grimaced, holding back her power was painful, but she couldn't let loose yet. She had a mission that required subtlety, her true power wasn't subtle. Lunging with tempered wrath in her eyes, Sera clawed at Amaimon's chest sending him back into a giant oak. The ancient tree groaned into the night as it clattered to the ground. Sera lunged forward to finish him off as an umbrella flew in front of her.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I never thought to see you again Sera. Especially not slinking around on my campus, now let's talk. And Amaimon," the clown glared at Amaimon eyebrows twitching in frustration, "STOP DESTROYING MY FORESTS!"

A puff of purple smoke caused Sera to cough and blocked her vision momentarily, Sera found herself in a garish office tied to a chair with ridiculous purple ribbons. After blinking a few times the haze cleared and Sera found herself with a freakishly happy Mephisto watching her and tapping his umbrella on the ground as Amaimon snacked on some pocky in the corner silently sulking. She frowned at the sight; he apparently already got his lecture about fighting. The clown could have at least let her see the lecture...

"So what brings you to my beautiful campus Sera? You could have at least dropped in to say hi. It's been so long since I've seen you, my, look at your hair! Oh and you've added to your rings! You're growing up so-"

"Shut up Mephisto! God, you never know when to shut up. My job is classified, you shouldn't even ask. Besides, why would I want to say hi to you, you freaky clown?"

He tsked his tongue again. Pushing his flowing cape out behind him, Mephisto dramatically sighed.

"You are still so much of a hassle again, Sera, just like old times! Destroying my forests, having such a negative tone for such a young lady, I'm appalled. You should be mannered, cultured, refined, then I'm sure we could find you a suitable man," Mephisto chuckled at her death glare then continued musing oblivious to the fact she mentally checked out of his lecture about the life she should have,

"... And since you only just got here, I would hate to send you away… hmm I know! Perfect punishment! Why don't I make you a student?" Sera's head snapped up at the last part. He had to be making a sick joke, there was no way… that damn smirk gave it away, he was serious.

"Why in great Gehenna would I accept that deal?" She snarled at Mephisto.

'_This clown is insane. Surrounding myself with other students? Actual normal people?! Having to blend in? I haven't been around humans in ages... Especially not other teens. And definitely not a place meant to be rid of demons...'_

"Don't be so harsh, it isn't so bad here, besides I wouldn't want to meddle in your bosses affairs. I don't like angering my brother; his smoky anger smells wretched and stains my clothes."

Amaimon perked up for a moment then sighed.

"Brother, that's why he is called the King of Rot. Can I go play now? I'm so bored."

_'So my first guess was right, Mephisto really does remember me. Don't blame them; Lord Astaroth does enjoy bragging about my successful jobs. And attempting to infiltrate the Academy a few years ago did leave quite a mess.'_

"No, Amaimon!" Mephisto turned his attention back to Sera, "so what about it, I'll allow you to continue your work uninterrupted, as long as it doesn't interfere with my goals."

"What are your goals then?"

"It's classified, you shouldn't even ask."

She tugged at her restraints as Mephisto smirked. Still as immature as ever. Damn clown.

'_So become a student and do my work undisturbed? Sounds too good to be true...'_

"What's the catch Mephisto?"

"Oh nothing! Just join the cram school and keep up good attendance, here I'll even give you a room and a uniform!"

Sera sighed and wiggled her wrists as the restraints fell to the ground.

"Join a class to become an exorcist? You must be crazy… oh wait."

"It's simple really. You'll fit right in, besides you can even make some friends!"

"Like I need friends..."

_'I just need Actaeon at my side, I work alone... I always have.'_

Mephisto bounded over and tapped her lightly on the head with his umbrella.

"Everyone needs friends. Now, go hurry to your dorm! I can't wait to see you working with the rest of the class. And about your ghoul hound, keep him on lockdown that would draw bad attention."

Sera stood up to leave as she touched the door she looked down at the gold key in her hand. She turned it over in her hands a few times. _'This key can take me to the cram school? From anywhere? Is it one of Mephisto's toys?'_

"Oh, and Sera?"

"Yes, Mephisto?"

"When was the last time you talked to my brother?"

"I haven't seen Lord Astaroth in a few months. I've been out on various jobs. The last message from him was about four months ago."

"That's all, enjoy the rest of your day. You have classes tomorrow."

Mephisto laughed as Sera headed out the door. After the door closed Sera gazed upon a creepy looking dorm.

"Well, here I am…"

Sera took a deep breath and headed inside.


	2. And So It Begins

_Quick Author's note: I do not own Blue Exorcist or any of the characters other than Sera! Also, this is my first one so please R&amp;R, anything helps!_

Sera cracked door to the dorms open, then closed it.

_'I don't want to go in there just yet. I still have time. I'm not nervous; no I'm never nervous... Okay maybe I am. It's been way too long since I've been around other people. Other humans...'_

Sighing, Sera turned and sat on the front steps gazing at the afternoon sun preparing to set.

"Maybe a walk will clear my head."

Sera ran her hands through her hair and started to stroll while trying to control a torrent of thoughts. Mephisto catching her during the small spar with Amaimon was unexpected, hell even Amaimon being there was unexpected. She wondered if that would count as a failure, or an unexpected success, since now she was closer to the school kids she was supposed to be studying. Lord Astaroth wasn't very specific in the job details so for her sanity she would mark this up as a small success. She caught a glimpse of her reflection from a nearby puddle, she looked like a mess. Sera attempted to fix her messy braid and brushing off any remnant of the fight. Though the action was purely symbolic, she had already healed the minor cuts and any dirt was gone and currently sitting on the ground of Mephisto's office.

Next up on her train of thought was a thought she had been avoiding for some years now. Was she human? It seemed stupid, but it had always bothered her. She didn't have any memories to back up her claim, and no family to consult. Sera always waved off the thought, but when she was alone, it creeped back up to the forefront of her mind. Any demon she asked in Gehenna would either scoff or just plain ignore her; it was frustrating to never get answers from them. Not even Lord Astaroth would tell her, he would always order her to spend more time thinking about her jobs instead of "wasting time on unimportant details."

_'Skin-walkers are witches... But is that another term for demon? I have the claws and the fangs like demons' _she ran her tongue along her fangs, luckily they weren't glaringly obvious. She began to fiddle with all of her rings, big or small, gold or silver, simple or decorative, no matter what they meant each finger had one.

_'Or are witches a middle ground? Does it really matter though? After all I'm bound to serve Lord Astaroth until my contract termination... Now that I think of it when does my contract terminate? Is it a till the death thing or am I free to say no-'_

Sera's deep thoughts were interrupted by someone running into her at full speed. She tumbled to the ground unable to get her breath back.

"Oh hey there! I'm so sorry! I didn't even see you there, are you okay?"

A boy with messy midnight blue hair and bright blue eyes held his hand out to her. Sera carefully took his hand and dusted off after he lifted her off the ground. She quickly counted to make sure she still had all her rings, it was a habit that she had always had. She hid her face partially away, embracing the role as a new student.

"Uh yeah, I'm fine. Sorry if I was in the way..."

_'Gotta play it like I'm a normal teen... Though I'm totally out of uniform, I hope he won't question it too much.'_

"Not at all! I'm sorry for running into you, I wasn't really watching where I was going," He said it so casual, this must be a normal occurrence for him, "I'm Rin Okumura, what's your name?" He blinked and looked at Sera's clothes and his eyes lingered on her face, "I haven't seen you around here before."

He smiled largely, as Sera looked him over. Messy uniform, sheathed sword slung across his back, he was probably in the cram school. Why else would he need a weapon?

_'He seems friendly enough. It would be helpful to have someone who knows their way around.'_

"I'm Sera Kanemoto, I just transferred here. It's nice to meet you. Um, are you in the cram school?"

"Oh cool! Nice to meet you Sera, and yeah I am! I take it you asking means you are too."

His energy was overwhelming. It's seemed to bubble out of him.

_'Okay, I could handle him. His energy is refreshing. Besides, maybe all his lights aren't on upstairs. I could easily get information from him…'_

"Yeah I am. I start tomorrow, so I'm kind of nervous."

That was half true, nervous to be around people her age and having to keep up this pathetic charade, but not nervous about the actual education part. She already knew all of it thanks to Astaroth's lectures and multiple curses.

"Ha, don't worry about it; I'll be right there with you! It's not as bad as the others might say. Hey, where's your dorm? It's kind of getting late."

Sera looked up at the twilight sky, how much time had passed? It seemed to be still sunny a minute ago. How far did she walk?

"Oh, uh, over that way. There were no other places open..."

Rin laughed and started walking toward the dorm while jokingly linking arms with Sera.

"That's the dorm my brother and I share, here come on we can walk back together."

"So brother, does she know about our youngest sibling?"

Amaimon chewed on the edges of his long nails, eyes intently staring at the pair walking off.

"No, I don't think so. Look at how she is acting; she doesn't seem to be suspicious of anything. Let's keep it that way."

"Especially since brother Astaroth seemed so intent to bring him home to Gehenna that night."

"Exactly Amaimon."

Mephisto chuckled and tapped his umbrella on the ground as he strolled away. Waving his hand, he sighed over his shoulder.

"I know you want to play with our new guest and test her limits, but you'll have to wait."

"So you really want to be an exorcist?"

"Yeah, my old man was a great exorcist and so is my brother."

Sera watched his eyes light up at the mention of his "old man", they must have been close. A pang of jealousy settled in her gut, was she close with her father? Did she have one? Would he be an exorcist too? She had to wave these thoughts away, but Rin's "old man" sounded interesting.

"Will you tell me about your father at some point? He must have some great stories."

"Sure! I bet the old man did a bunch of cool things!"

Sera laughed quietly, this boy seemed too happy go lucky to be a boring old exorcist.

Footsteps echoed down the stairs, Rin turned his head away from his food and Sera to see Yukio staring in slight shock.

"Rin! You have a girl in here? That's against the rules!"

"Oh calm down Yukio, her room is in here. Mephisto put her in here and she is in the cram school."

"Oh really? I never heard anything about this."

Yukio seemed to calm down a bit after studying Rin's face, but his eyes lingered on Sera's jewelry and violet eyes.

"A pleasure to meet you, I'm Sera Kanemoto."

Sera stood briefly and bowed quickly before returning to her food.

"I'm Yukio Okumura, Rin's twin brother and a full exorcist."

Sera nodded and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail.

"I've heard of you, the youngest exorcist in the entire Order. You're a doctor and a dragoon correct?"

Yukio narrowed his eyes at Sera.

'_How did she know that so quickly?'_

"Please don't think I was stalking you, you are a hot topic back where I'm from."

_'__He doesn't know I mean I heard of him from Astaroth when he controlled Reiji...'_

Rin laughed and looked at his brother.

"Wow, you are actually popular somewhere! At least you know you have a fan club somewhere else, besides all the girls here who make you lunch every day."

Yukio's expression changed at the mention of the lunch girls and he started to head back upstairs.

"Whatever Rin, you two better not stay up too late. Class starts early tomorrow, and you have to stay awake throughout the entire class...Rin."

Yukio's stare lingered on Rin causing him to sink down in his seat.

"Yeah whatever, you sound like the old man."

He scoffed as Yukio headed back upstairs.

Sera finished her dinner and pulled her hair down from the ponytail only to toy with the rings on her fingers.

"So what's with all the rings? Seems excessive."

She looked up at Rin briefly, then back down to her rings. Silver, gold, onyx, iron, steel, each one passed from family, or so her faint memory recalled. It was her heritage, a tradition as the monster she was.

"Long story."

"Well, why don't you tell me tomorrow?"

Sera shrugged. Tomorrow would be fine, she would have time to clear her head and think of a convincing back-story. Though lying to Rin didn't seem like the best idea, something about it nagged at her mind.

She trudged to her room after Rin wished her goodnight.

_'__One night of silent sleep. No nightmares, no memories, no voices, just sleep. That's all I want…'_


	3. First Steps

_Author's Note: Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, please R&amp;R since this is my first story! Feedback is so welcome! Feel free to message me if you have any suggestions on improvement! _

_'__Thoughts'_

_Ambience_

"Dialogue"

**_Dreams_**

**_"_****_Dream Dialogue"_**

Sera slipped off her short sleeveless top and black pants replacing them with a sports bra and shorts. The bed was ice cold, but she barely noticed, her mind was racing too much. She ran her hand along her collection of necklaces and her fingers rested on the small bone on the very first necklace. Normally this bone was hidden under her clothes or other jewelry. Her fingers traced the lines and cracks in the bone, her last memento of her youngest sister- or that's what Lord Astaroth told her when she first asked. The lost sister. Sera could barely remember her sister's name and face now. Sera sighed and let the bone go, resigning to sleep.

**_Messy brown hair soaked in dirt and sweat._**

**_Scared sapphire eyes tremble, filling with tears._**

**_"_****_Sister, what...what are you doing?!"_**

**_A little girl, no older than five stares up at a figure cloaked in darkness._**

**_The figure laughs evilly and turns to face the little girl as black hair whips around in the hot wind._**

**_Hungry violet eyes reflect the scared little girl as she cries out while hands covered in rings begin to be covered in fresh blood. The screaming becomes more desperate as the little girl cries out._**

**_"_****_Sister, please stop! This isn't you! Stop please-"_**

**_The cries are cut short by a burst of black rotten smoke and vile laughter flooding the area._**

**_"_****_Now take the power! Grow stronger!" A deep voice boomed into her skull. Slamming into her harder than the nails in her sister's coffin._**

"No...no! It wasn't me! No! No-"

"Hey! Hey, Sera wake up!"

Sera cracked her eyes open and jumped back a bit when she saw Rin holding onto her shoulders.

She rubbed her eyes and tried to disguise the tears that were running down her face.

_'__I hope he didn't know I was crying. Damn nightmares, the one memory I want to escape is the one I always see at night.'_

"Are you okay, Sera? Sounded like a horrible nightmare."

Rin kneeled next to her bed, his bright blue eyes filled with concern.

Sera stayed silent, not because she didn't want to answer, more because she was still trying to control her breaths and didn't know how her voice would have sounded.

"I heard you screaming and came as fast as I could. Do you need me to get you anything?"

"I'm fine… thanks though."

Rin rubbed the back of his neck and smiled at her.

"I'll go get you some breakfast then we can head to class. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great… thanks."

Sera weakly smiled at Rin and watched him as he left.

_'__So he is genuinely sweet. How Yukio and he are related is beyond me, they seem like two completely different people.'_

Sera jumped out of bed and rushed through a shower to erase any trace of the nightmare.

_'__I haven't thought of my little sister in so long… but I know I could never hurt her. I loved her. I protected her. That's what big sisters do. I wasn't me...it can't be me…'_

She repeated those last few words to herself over and over again. They had to be true, if she said them enough they had to be. She stared at her reflection in the floor-length mirror. Sera fixed the short skirt and the shirt a bit, sighing. It was such a change from her normal all black attire, though the skirt looked really good against her skin.

"Hey, if you're ready-"

Rin's voice stopped suddenly when he saw Sera in the uniform.

_'__She looks pretty good in that. Kinda cute actually.'_

Sera turned as Rin shook the blush off his face.

"Oh Rin, I didn't see you there. Mmm that food smells amazing!"

She grabbed his arm and headed downstairs eager to start her day and get her mind off the horrendous nightmare.

Rin slid up next to Sera who was nose deep in a tattered notebook. Every so often she would quickly write something in the margins then go back to reading. She looked so invested in those notes, like nothing else existed around her, like they were her life's work or something. Rin cleared his throat twice before she snapped out of her trance and glanced up at him with a shy smile.

"Soooo, you said you would tell me about your rings. They are really nice."

"Oh thanks, they are, well, family heirlooms. Each ring is passed down through the family, the design is based off what their job in the clan was."

_'__Or so I've heard...'_

Rin looked genuinely curious as he poked each the rings carefully examining the details.

"Who did this ring belong to?" He asked as he pointed to a slender gold band with silver lines intertwining on the top.

"My little sister…"

Rin looked into Sera's downcast eyes picking up on the sadness in her voice.

"Oh I'm...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"No, no it's okay. I've never told anyone about my rings before."

_'__It wouldn't hurt to tell him. he doesn't seem the type to use that information against me, he honestly doesn't seem like a dangerous type at all.'_

"Her ring was made to be small and delicate, just like she was. She was always happy and eager to learn new things, so thats why there are silver lines intertwining. Against all my other rings, it's pretty basic, but it's my favorite. I miss her everyday, but I know that she is still happy out there."

Rin smiled softly feeling special to hear this privileged information. He stood up to change seats, but Yukio walked in and he quickly sat back down.

"Good morning class, we will be starting shortly, please get your books out. Oh, and welcome our new student Sera Kanemoto. Let's get started quickly though, we have a lot to do."

Sera looked at Rin shocked, she tried to keep her jaw shut and off the floor.

"He is the youngest exorcist, your twin brother, and our teacher?"

"Yep."

"Well I'll be damned."

"You're here aren't you?"

Sera couldn't help but laugh, though it quickly died when Yukio glared at her.

"He's kinda scary when he is in teacher mode." Sera whispered under her breath.

Rin nodded, trying to stay under his brother's radar.

Sera glanced around the room at the other students. A girl with purple pigtails and the funkiest eyebrows ever, they honestly looked like little dots on her face, and that scowl seemed permanently etched into her face, was sitting next to a plain looking brunette who was watching a blonde girl wearing a kimono.

_'__Who in their right mind is wearing a kimono to class in this weather? or at all? Didn't they go out of fashion like back in feudal era?'_

Then in the back was a hooded kid playing video games on a handheld and a very creepy and unsettling ventriloquist whose bunny puppet was almost staring through Sera's soul- or lack there of. Finally, a group of three boys, one with faded pink hair, a nearly bald kid with glasses, and the punk wannabe with a blond and brown faux-hawk huddled on the far side of the room, the punk wannabe had a disapproving look that if looks really could kill, Rin may as well have been dead four times over. Not many in this class she would normally associate with. Sera sighed and leaned into her hand zoning out for a moment.

_'__Mephisto was right… this is the worst punishment ever.'_

Sera focused back into reality as Yukio droned on about treating wounds with this and that. Her eyes lingered over to Rin who seemed to be in his own world. His bangs were lazily laying in his face as his eyes sparkled during his apparent daydream, Sera felt a small heat in her cheeks. She couldn't resist it, this kid seemed so damn happy in his own world that it was kinda cute.

_'__What's he thinking about?'_

"Mmm...sukiyaki." He muttered in a trancelike state.

_'Well, there's my answer.'_

Sera focused back on her book still open to the page about Satan and the Blue Night. She felt Rin glance over once or twice (when he wasn't daydreaming about sukiyaki) and stare at the page. She just shrugged and zoned back out waiting for the bell. She swore she wasn't claustrophobic, but this classroom felt like it was getting smaller with each damn page Yukio turned. Plus the stares she was getting from the group of boys across the room wasn't helping.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Finally!"

Sera grabbed her bag and rushed out of class accidently leaving her notebook on the table. Her footsteps echoed down the hall as she rushed out to the main yard by the fountain. Once outside, Sera took a deep breath of the fresh air and felt the sunshine on her skin. All of the jitters and awkwardness she felt in class melted away in the sunlight.

"Freedom from Hell!" Sera cheered as she sat by the fountain and pulled out a small white book to begin furiously writing. The white book was were she kept all the notes concerning her thoughts and random poetry. It sounded geeky but poetry was a habit she picked up on a job a few years back, it helped clear her mind and calm herself down, also she tended to indulge in some story-telling (though she never finished a single one). The outside was always the best place for her to write, she could never really write inside, especially not in Yukio's class.

"Hey, new girl."

Sera looked up to see the two toned hair kid and his crew standing before her. She rolled her eyes and closed her book. They interrupted her in the middle of a great poem too, this better be good.

"Is there something you want?"

"Saw you with Okumura today in class, you should stay away from him. It's not in your best interest, he will only bring trouble. They call him a 'special case'."

Sera couldn't help but laugh at the notion of Rin being more trouble than her. She knew that she should keep up the quiet and innocent charade, but this opportunity was golden.

"What? You have got to be kidding, Rin can't cause half as much trouble as I do. If I were any other girl, I'd say you're jealous, but I'm not, so instead I'll warn you. I'm more trouble than Rin could ever be, and don't tell me what's in my best interest."

Sera grabbed her bag and walked off leaving the boys in shock. Their jaws dropped as they watched her leave. The only thing on Sera's mind was finishing her damn poem before she lost the thought, it was so good.

"Whoa, I didn't see that coming. She's feisty." Said the pink haired boy as he tried to get the group to focus back on reality. The utter silence that followed for a few minutes would've been perfect for tumbleweed to blow past.

"Hey guys, have you seen Sera?" Rin asked as he jogged up to the boys holding her tattered notebook in his hand. They simply pointed towards the gates.

"Thanks, bye!" He waved as he headed off.


	4. The Ugly Truth

_Author's Note: Hey there! I hate to sound annyoing but please let me know what you think of this story! I peomise updates will come faster soon, I just am double checking the editing and balancing a lot of school work! Anyways, enjoy!_

"Brother, please let me play with her. I'm bored again!"

"Again, Amaimon? Didn't you play with her a few days ago?"

Amaimon shrugged absently as he watched Sera walk down the street alone. Mephisto sighed and waved his umbrella above his head.

"Fine, fine, I saw nothing. Just this time Amaimon, don't destroy my campus."

With a wave of his umbrella, Mephisto disappeared into a puff of purple smoke as Amaimon squealed in glee.

"Time to play this time with no interruptions!" Amaimon jumped off the tree branch and rushed towards Sera.

"Finally back here, those classes took forever. Plus, this damn campus is like a maze, a clown must have… oh wait, a clown did design this place" Sera sighed as she put her notebook away in her rucksack.

"Playtime!" Squealed through the air as two feet planted themselves in the small of Sera's back.

_Oof!_

The wind was knocked clean out of Sera's lungs as she dropped her bag, face planting on the stone path.

"Ugh, who the…"

"It's time to play! Don't disappoint me this time!"

The weight lifted off Sera's back as Amaimon jumped off and crouched next to her poking her with his long fingernails. Sera flinched with a groan and slowly reached for her knife, then jumped and slashed at Amaimon driving him back. He cheered as he swiped at her arm barely touching her.

"It's been awhile Amaimon, King of Earth, I was wondering where you went!" Sera snarled as she chased after Amaimon and into the forest.

_'Well at least I can say he started it if the clown shows up!'_

Rin walked down the stone path looking for Sera.

"Damn, where is she? They said she was walking down this way not to long ago. I have her book here."

He glanced back at the book in his hands, there was no real cover and some of the stuff seemed to be just notes and articles shoved into it. When he returned it, he didn't plan on mentioning how he flipped through it, or how he was kinda shocked at how many pages in there were about the Blue Night and Satan. Soon his eyes zeroed in on familiar bag with its contents scattered on the ground.

"Is that… oh man that's her bag! Sera! Sera!"

Rin rushed towards the bag calling out for Sera. He kneeled by the bag as his eyes followed the trail towards the woods and the sound of crashing and shouting.

"I'm already sick of this..." Sera grunted as she dodged Amaimon's flurry of attacks and rocks.

"But the fun hasn't even started!"

"Yeah, and I'm not in the mood! But then again I've been cooped up inside all day. I guess this is an out for some misplaced agitation."

Sera jumped off one of his rocks and sliced him in the shoulder knocking him down for a bit, as she went to kick him from behind he tripped her. As if being tripped mid-jump wasn't embarrassing enough, Amaimon flipped over her stealing her knife and discarding it into a nearby crater.

"Damn, that was my favorite one!"

The two launched into a dangerous game of cat and mouse where each hit caused a small crater. Sera's rage boiled in her, she barely noticed her moves and snarls becoming more primal and ferocious. Amaimon suddenly kicked her hard in the gut sending her flying back into a tree. He slowly approached her as she slid down to the ground in a scratched up heap.

"Maybe if I take your rings you'll play more."

He reached down and almost touched the slender band with silver designs as a large black claw grabbed him by the throat and tossed him into a far off tree like a rag doll.

"Don't. Touch. Me"

Amaimon gazed at the tall pale creature charging at him. It barely resembled the girl he just knocked into that tree. It had long arms with huge black claws that obviously hurt, he realized as he rubbed his throat and dodged a punch that left a huge dent in the tree. Sunken black eyes, that seemed to suck in any light and stood out from the pale face, caught his attention as he flipped over the monster. Blood thirsty snarls erupted from its feral-like mouth, as it sized up Amaimon. The faint, filtered sunlight glittered across the rings and necklaces creating an unholy glow around the monstrosity.

"So this is what you really look like? Yippee-"

His joyful cry was cut off as a ringed hand slapped him back into the ground, sending his body tumbling for a bit. Now he wasn't having fun.

Rin sprinted into the forest only to freeze at the sheer amount of destruction.

_'What the hell happened here?!'_

He avoided the massive amount of craters and jumped over tree branches calling out for her.

"Don't. Touch. Me" echoed throughout the forest in a dark tone that dripped with malice and shook Rin to his core. A pit began to form in his chest. What could possibly make that sound? He shook off the shock and began sprinting once more.

_'I hope she is okay and that I don't have to draw my sword. That would be bad...'_

"Sera! Sera where are you?!"

"Sera! Sera where are you?!"

The monster turned at the sound. It broke through the darkness and racing thoughts muddled, barely audible.

_'Voice...I know that voice... Rin!'_

The slight distraction was all Amaimon needed to smash the monster into the ground and toss it into a rocky patch.

"I guess our fun is over for now. At least I got to see what you really looked 'll play again, I promise!" He laughed as he flipped out of sight. Clearly enjoying himself once more now that he had the upper hand, and the victory.

As the monster slid down the rocks, the adrenaline of the encounter began to wear off making Sera notice every scrape and cut she had. She laid on the ground clutching her side and curled up into a ball. Her bones screamed out in pain as they changed back to normal. Her head was throbbing worse than her side or back and moving from here was out of the question. But she could feel herself back in a normal state, that was the small silver lining she kept repeating to herself. The transformation was rarely pretty and always painful. It left a foul taste it in her mouth that she could never get used too.

"Sera!" Footsteps rushed over to her and kneeled beside her. Rin gently turned her over, his blue eyes filled with worry.

"Are you okay?"

"Well... I've had better..." Sera choked out before coughing. She tried to stand but cried out in pain a bit as her head throbbed at the slightest movement.

"Here, I got you." Rin gently picked up Sera bridal style and carefully made his way back to their dorm. He didn't even mind that Sera buried her head in his chest, he was more worried that whatever caused the destruction was still lurking around. Whatever happened in that forest didn't look good.


	5. Mirrors

Chapter 5

"Dialogue"

_'Thoughts'_

Darkness. That's all she could see, but she felt cold hands grabbing at her from all around. They turned her slowly to face something… no someone. A tall figure surrounded by a pale light stared back at her. Crystal blue eyes pleading to be remembered, but not the same eyes from her foggy memory. These eyes were more mature, as if they had seen too much darkness in the world. The figure reached out a hand to her and Sera's body automatically mirrored the action. The figure stepped away from the light wearing a thin white dress then suddenly stopped, as if there were an invisible wall between the two. The girl in white pressed her hand against the invisible wall clearly distressed at the development. She seemed panicked and her mouth moved as if she was hurrying through an entire speech, yet only gurgles came out. Yet one word perfectly came across during her panicked and silent speech, _skin-walker_. Sera tried to call back, but no sound came out, without warning her lungs flared in pain as if she were trying to breath underwater. The girl in white's face contorted as if she were screaming and Sera watched as shadows engulfed the girl's body slowly, and a giant pale monster dragged her into the darkness. Sera pounded her fists against the wall trying to get to the other girl and that horrendous monster. The creature felt familiar, too familiar…

Then it all pieced together. That was what she looked like. Her true skin-walker form. She really was a monster.

Sera cracked her eyes open barely, careful of the light filtering into the room from the window. She shakily took a breath and focused on her hands, or anything really to get her mind of...well, whatever that was. The sound of snoring drew her attention as Rin leaned back in a chair half asleep.

_'Was he waiting for me to wake up?'_

Sera chuckled a bit looking at Rin, he looked ridiculous. Bangs pinned back, shirt untucked and misbuttoned, tie all crooked, he just looked like a tired mess. Though Sera doubted she looked much better. Fighting Amaimon took a lot of energy from her, transforming into the skin-walker form and back took every last bit she had. Sera carefully ran her hands over her face while checking her rings. She let out a sigh of relief which caused Rin to stir and then fall out of his chair.

"You're awake!" He smiled rubbing his sore butt from the fall. He quickly knelt beside her, trying obviously to hide some concern, but failing.

"How...how long was I asleep?" Sera's voice was a little raspy, probably from disuse or maybe it was leftover from her monstrous true form.

"Three days." He hung his head dejectedly at the fact.

_'Why does he seem so upset? Who am I to him? Or do I look bad? Yeah probably that one...'_

"That long?" She paused for a moment, then against her better judgement put her hand on Rin's cheek, "Hey, what's wrong? Why do you look so sad?"

"Because I wanted to be a good friend and protect you, yet here you are all hurt. I was worried when I found your bag tossed on the ground, then when I found you, you passed out in my arms then never woke back up!"

"I'll be fine. I've had worse. But sorry for worrying you and thanks...for bringing me back here.." Her voice faltered a bit towards the ends, normally when she got hurt she was alone. This time she wasn't used to someone helping her or even looking after her. It was weird and new.

Rin laughed a bit and then looked away.

"Yeah, I guess so. So, uh, what happened out there?"

Sera shrugged. She didn't want to say that Amaimon got bored and messed up her day, that may cause him to look even more like a sad puppy or maybe set him on some obscure war path. He seemed like the kind of guy who could hold his own in a fight, and also the type to hunt someone down for hurting a friend. She hadn't known him long, but the sad look just didn't fit Rin. She liked to see him happy and energetic. And she couldn't say that she was a skin-walker, that would also be problematic.

"Demons picking on the new girl I suppose."

"Well, I'll make sure they leave you alone then!" He smiled and sat up proudly.

"Okay? How?" Sera just had to take the bait, it was too tempting to see what crazy idea he would have.

"You'll just hang with me more often." He laughed and her first reaction was to snort and wave him off, but then again she was interested in him. She was curious to see what went on inside that head of his. Plus, he funny, so there was another plus.

"Well, I'm glad to see you are awake, Sera." A seriousness that seemed to only affect Sera settled into the air.

Yukio strolled into the room, as Sera's laughter died off immediately, if glares could kill he would have killed her at least five times over.

"Hello, Yukio." She tried to respond to his cutting looks without alerting Rin, though he seemed oblvious to nearly everything.

"Rin, I need to change her bandages, can you give us a moment alone?"

"Oh, uh, sure." His frown didn't seem fit his face yet again. Rin stepped out, but Sera had a feeling he didn't go far. Yukio kneeled down and quickly began to work on Sera's remaining wounds clearly ignoring the sharp inhales following the cleaning.

"I know what you are." Sera didn't want to give away the dread that settled in her stomach quite yet, he could be bluffing.

"As another student of yours? Glad you finally noticed me." She bit her tongue so she wouldn't add _senpai_ to the end of it; he was already mad for some reason, best not to add to it.

"A Yenaldooshi, commonly referred to as a skin-walker," she couldn't help it, but her breath caught in her throat, "in other words, another demon. What are you here for?"

Sera looked away, trying to avoid Yukio's watchful gaze.

'_How the hell could he tell that fast? I wasn't be obvious...at least I don't think so. Maybe there actually is a reason he is the youngest exorcist...'_

"I'm just here to be an exorcist." The hint of hesitation sealed her fate, she assumed.

"You're lying to me! Why else would you be here?"

"And if I'm not? What if I really want to be an exorcist?"

Yukio sat up straight and looked Sera over.

"We will see then. Though now I'm watching you."

"Hoped you would always be watching your students." Dry sarcasm was always her defense against fear. Yukio rolled his eyes and left, closing the door behind him.

No one except Mephisto, Amaimon, and Astaroth knew what she really was, but now Yukio did too. That could be dangerous, but then she could learn more about herself. What if he knew more than she did about skin-walkers? The thought gave her uneasy hope. She never met another skin-walker in her whole life, but then again Yukio didn't seem happy with her at the moment. She shook her head and slid out of bed. She didn't need to poke the Yukio shaped bear, nor did she really want to know the extent of her powers. She had too much to deal with already. She leaned against the windowsill watching the drizzling rain slide down the window.

"Why? Why me? Why not Dawn?"

The question was entirely rhetorical, she knew Dawn would never do half the things she did. Forced to or not. Dawn was sweet, innocent, and everything she never could be. She froze for a moment and smiled, finally she remembered her name. Nightmare after nightmare and finally the little girl had a name, it didn't lessen the horror, but it lessened the grief slightly. Sera shrugged her shoulders at her own thoughts, not even focusing on the rain anymore as she unconsciously twirled the small bone necklace between her fingers. How many memories did she have of this Dawn girl? Did she have any more? It killed her inside not to remember. All she knew in her heart was that Dawn was the perfect little sister, eyes filled to the brim with hope and-

_**Scared sapphire eyes tremble, filling with tears.**_

"_**Sister, what...what are you doing?!"**_

"No!" Sera violently shook her head and slammed her hands against her head. Fighting the memories back, holding together her sanity, she couldn't handle reliving that part of her life. Not now, not ever... She still didn't believe it, she could never hurt her sister. It had to be wrong, something had to be wrong.

"Sera, you're okay, It's not real." Warm arms wrapped around her and slowly removed her hands from her head. She forced her eyes open and saw Rin's reflection in the window.

"Rin?"

It was a stupid question, of course it was him. Who else would be in the dorm?

"Of course." His reflections grin broadened into that goofy smile he almost always had. Her face couldn't help but mirror it.

"See look! I'm already making you smile!"

"Rin, what do you want?" She couldn't help but chuckle, he was good for a few laughs especially after the tension Yukio left.

"Making sure you're okay, and well...it is time for class."

"Of course it is, when do we ever get a break?" She laughed and grabbed her bag, following Rin playfully shoving him for every bad pun he made along the way.


	6. Remember, Remember

_Author's Note: I'm so sorry for being gone so long! I hope this chapter makes up for the wait! Please let me know if you guys enjoy the way this one was formatted and if I should do more like this one! Please R&amp;R it makes my day and helps me get better at writing! I apologize profusely if anyone was OOC! I don't Blue Exorcist or anyone in this except for Sera!_

_Flashback_

Reality

"_I need you to do me a favor little pet." His voice slithered into her ears, she repressed a shudder she felt in her spine. She had to get used to this voice, she had heard it since she was seven, but even after seven long years each time she heard it she felt sick to her stomach._

"_Yes, my master?" _

"_I want you to go visit Assiah for me- now now don't let your eyes bug out of your head, you are originally from there- now as I was saying, I want you to go to Assiah to retrieve a sword for me. This is no ordinary sword, so be careful with it." She watched as the Demon King laid back in his rotten throne. What was so special about a sword? He had so many minor demons under him, he had her, he had powers that were terrifying, why would he need a sword?_

"_I see that look on your face, pet. Don't question my orders. You know better than that. Now go, what are you waiting for? Look, I'll even be generous and drop you off nearby."_

_Before the girl could open her mouth she felt the cold air flood her lungs and then the embrace of hard asphalt as a street crashed into her face. The world around her swirled as her eyes tried to adjust and fight off the intruding black dots from the impact. A breeze brushed over her exposed thighs causing her to jolt up and shiver. Her hands skimmed over her body feeling only the light fabric of a small black dress. _

"_A teenage girl, in the middle of winter, in a small black dress laying in the middle of the street, that's really subtle master…" Her arms groaned as she pushed off the ground. Absently rubbing her bruised jaw, Sera looked around. The city streets were empty and the streetlights barely pushed back the darkness. _

"_Time to wander the street like a hobo…"_

_Where the hell would she find a sword in modern day Japan? If people had them they were most likely old and rusty or fakes. What was so special about this sword anyways? Did it glow? Was it magical? Could it free her from her servitude to Astaroth-_

"_GAH!" Her throat suddenly constricted and her knees failed in supporting her body. Hacking coughs racked her body as a burning sensation flowed through her body as if telling her not to even ponder those thoughts._

"_I...get the point…" Her voice rasped out as the burning subsided. Even here, she wasn't away from him… She had to figure out what caused these pains and end them, it was smothering any free will she had...wait was that the point? She felt the pain creeping back into her body, though she shook the thoughts away before the pain could become even a fraction of what it was before. _

"_Fine, I guess I'll find this sword…" She muttered under her breath as she shivered and began her walk down the street. _

_Suddenly, she is standing at the gates of a large academy. Something is pulling her here, a feeling deep in her gut, calling her into the academy, past the giant gates, past the foreboding forests, past a haunted-looking dorm building. The feeling pulled her along the cold cobblestone paths only growing stronger with each step._

"_Where is this going? What is this place? It's so huge!"_

_Her eyes wandered from window to window, this place was bigger than her small home in Gehenna. Each building towered over her like a castle, she would run up to every building she saw like a child hunting for presents. The first building seemed to be a dorm room with boring humans sleeping. The next one was an empty classroom with writing on the board, she tried to read what the board said but couldn't get close enough. She swore it was talking about demons though. Building after building was either empty or filled with sleeping people. Though the last building had one awake occupant who screamed at the sight of a teenage girl wandering around in a small black dress claiming that there was a ghost on campus. She sighed wondering if her gut feeling brought her to the wrong place. Her eyes narrowed, however; as they landed on a window with a light on._

"_What's going on in there?" Her legs acted without her thinking, crawling up the side of the building, finding hidden niches in the brickwork as her slender fingers grasped at the windowsill. The room appeared like an office, but it was filled with things she had never seen before. She scanned the room before her eyes widened at the sight of a person, a person who had no clue what fashion was. He had a giant white top hat, a white cape that was purple on the inside that swished as he talked to something or someone animatedly and every so often she would get a peek of puffy pants that reminded her of a jester._

"_Who the hell let that man dress himself?" She muttered as she judged every inch of the man before her, barely ducking in time as she registered him turning around. As the jester man turned away from whomever he was talking to her eyes fell on her prize. A priest looking man holding a sword. A beautifully blue sheath holding a tasseled blade. _

"_That has to be the sword, it's the only one I have seen here. If not, oh well."_

_Now the only question was how the hell she was going to get her hands on it and get back to Gehenna. She had only run into a priest once before and it took weeks for the burn mark on her wrist to heal after the priest grabbed her after seeing her steal some money. She hissed at the memory of his holy water drenched hand wrapping around her wrist, she wasn't going to let that happen again. She eyed the priest standing in the room, wait a minute… oh damn it all… he wasn't a normal priest, no that would make her life too easy, he had to be a damn exorcist too. She cursed under her breath again as she eyed the sword. She could grab it as he was leaving and run for her life… that plan was bound to get her killed… but it was the only one she had and she was sick of being out in the freezing cold. Her violet eyes watched as the priest turned to leave the room at the dismissal of the jester. She had to make her move and soon, she couldn't let that damn sword get away. Launching off the brickwork, her powers sprang to life, she felt the adrenaline coursing alongside the powers given to her by Astaroth. She wasn't anywhere near as strong as she had to be to have a decent chance to pull this plan off but damn it this was all she had. Kicking her leg out, she slid along the grass, ignoring the burn of grass racing along her skin and stopping at the edge of the building._

"_Mephisto, I have a feeling we are being watched." The jester scanned the area quickly with his eyes at the priest/exorcist's words. _

"_No demon can get into my school if that's what you're implying Fujimoto. Remember now, I have all of those barriers up for a reason, not even my siblings could get in here."_

"_Unless you let them in." The one named Fujimoto spat back. The way his body was placed made it seem that he trusted this Mephisto, but wasn't happy to be there. Sera hoped his senses weren't sharp enough to pick her up. _

_'That would completely ruin my plan.'_

"_I assure you , I would never do that. Without good reason of course."_

"_I see. Goodnight, Mephisto, I need to get back to my sons."_

"_Tell them I said hello! Especially to your young exorcist!" Sera felt uncomfortable with the way Mephisto's eyes glittered, as if he was saying more than that. Fujimoto felt it too, she assumed, as he quickly turned away with a wave. Now was her chance, she had to do it. Her legs tensed up, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She had to be fast, faster than she thought she could be. _

' _Just grab and sprint for my life.'_

_She hungrily eyed the sword and off she went. Her body sprinted past Fujimoto and felt the weight of a sword in her hands. Violet eyes glanced down and made sure there was a tight grip on the new prize. She heard the shouting of the two men, but she couldn't stop her legs from moving. Her mind screamed that she had to get out of there now, though everything seemed to slow. _

'_My legs won't move! No no no no, I can't fail! I need to get out of here!'_

"_What is happening to me?! Move legs! Damn you!" Sera blanched at the sound of her voice, she sounded like she was spitting molasses out. _

"_My dear girl, I think you have something that doesn't belong to you." Sera slowly turned her eyes to the owner of the voice. A smile that could have passed for a joker's grin but held a sinister sparkle to it filled her vision._

"_You should know that it is wrong to take things that don't belong to you." His voice was sickly sweet to her ears, almost as bad as Astaroth's voice. Her stomach flipped threatening to abandon her if she stayed still for another moment. _

"_I need this…" Her words fell off her tongue as if they were too heavy for her tongue to hold. _

"_Oh do you now?" The jester's white gloves drifted over the sword, as if he was toying with her._

"_No…" Her voice sounded pathetic in this state. Her mind began to race faster as she watched his gloves tighten around the sword. One pull and she would lose her prize and her way home. She did the only thing she could. Sera screamed, a sound that tore itself from her soul and echoed out of her throat shattering the illusion of molasses and slowed time. Her legs fell to the ground as she continued to scream, she couldn't stop the scream, it became a being all its own. Mephisto jolted back at her scream, releasing the sword from his attempted grasp, though her own hands could barely hold it anymore. The sword clattered to the ground as her scream died down. Her throat felt bloody and raw, her body ached, her vision blotting out every so often, disguising the destruction of shattered windows, crumbling bricks and broken trees all around her. _

'_What's happening to me?...'_

_A flesh hand snatched the sword away from her field of vision. _

"_Mephisto, what just happened?" She felt a warm presence on her forehead, the warmth felt welcome against the throbbing pain. Every fiber struggled to stay awake inside her, but every second felt like year. Sera fought against the sluggish feeling, but letting it take over felt like a good idea..._

"_She...I haven't heard a scream like that in centuries. I can explain it later, but for now we need to get her out of here. I have a feeling this won't end well..." His voice sounded chipper, but his words couldn't be anything but. This man had to be a horrible jester..._

"_She's just a teenager, we can't leave her here. I'll take her back with me."_

"_Look, Fujimoto, I know you love adopting children, like the two you have, but adopting this girl who just tried to steal this sword mind you is a bad idea first off. Secondly, she isn't a normal human, look at the destruction she caused with a scream!."_

"_But she needs help!"_

"_Fujimoto, I have reason to believe that she belongs to one of my siblings..."_

"_Are you lying to deter me from helping this girl? Look at how pale she is getting! Let me take her, Mephisto!"_

_The warmth was snatched off her forehead. Sera missed the warmth already, struggling against the oncoming darkness was harder without that warmth._

"_I'm not lying Fujimoto. I'll take her inside, go back to your sons before it is too late. And lock that sword away somewhere safe."_

A loud bang snapped her from her sleep. Sera sat straight up and rubbed her eyes quickly. Asleep. She was asleep that whole time, but it felt so real. She had never met the man called Fujimoto before though...so it couldn't have been a dream. Was it a memory? Was she finally getting her memories back? Or was this a rare occurrence? The sounds of Bon's irritated voice dragged her back into full reality.

"What the hell?..." She muttered under her breath as she fully came too.

Ah, class that's where she was. She glanced to her right and saw Rin there wide awake, for once. As her eyes traveled up she saw why. Bon had slammed his hand on the desk, Kamiki was in front of them and Sera could feel the tension brewing already in the room.

'Do I have the energy to try to hold Bon back? Or to deal with Kamiki mouthing off while I do so? Nah...' Sera was too wound up in her thoughts to hear exactly what they were snapping at each other about. She caught Satan and joke, but honestly, there was no need for her to bite back. Not her problem, no need to make it hers. Instead, she let the bickering continue as she scribbled down the name _Fujimoto?_ into her notebook margin and the words _blue sword_ underneath it. It had to mean something, maybe she just needed to meditate to find out what it meant, or maybe she was just getting her hopes up again… Yet again Bon broke her chain of thought by grabbing Kamiki by the collar. Okay, now it was her problem…

"Hey hands off Kamiki, Bon! That's not how we solve problems ya hot head!" Sera slammed her hands down and jumped up from the seat. Kamiki raised her hand most likely to strike Bon but was cut off by Sera grabbing her wrist and slamming it down on the desk. Kamiki cried out as the thud echoed around the room. As Sera's violet eyes turned to Bon, she heard a voice enter the room.

"Settle down! Enough with the fighting already. Violence isn't an answer, but I think I know what is."

Sera turned to see Yukio standing in the entryway, eyebrows twitching.

'Well shit… This can't end well.'


	7. Who Are You Really?

_Author's Note: Hey guys, feel free to PM or R&amp;R, I'm testing out new ideas with each chapter. This one is following an episode, let me know what you think! I hope you all have a wonderful week! xoxo -Silver!_

"Dialogue"

'_Thoughts'_

_**Flashbacks**_

"_**Dialogue"**_

**Dorm Training?!**

'_Great, leave it to Kamiki and Bon to get us all in trouble. Okay, okay, maybe I didn't help... Least it wasn't Bon and I getting into a fight, that would have been a lot worse.' _

Sera sighed and curled her fists trying to go through calming techniques as each student complained about the vile rocks pushing down on their laps. She tried to tune them out, their complaining and useless bickering didn't help her temper. Though it would help her temper if those two would actually Kamiki and Bon actually shut-

"It's everyone's fault, one of the objectives of this bootcamp is to strengthen your academic skills, the other is to get you to start becoming closer as a team. As a team, you have to share the collective responsibility "

Of course, Yukio made everything into some kind of lesson, though Sera mentally thanked him for getting the bickering to end.

"I'd rather die than be friends with these losers."

Sera shot the coldest glare she had at Kamiki, that purple haired chick was frying every nerve in Sera's body. First the sassy comments in class, then the fight, now this? Sera understood Kamiki was upset and was feeling guilty about not protecting Paku, but this wasn't going to solve any problems, personal or with the group.

_'Note to self: talk to Kamiki about that statement once this rock is long gone.'_

Sera glanced over at Rin, at least she didn't have problems getting along with him. Everyone else was a different story, Sera wanted to understand Kamiki and her attitude, maybe slap Bon around a bit for being so hot headed at times (though he was pretty cool, not that she would ever tell him that to his face), Shima was cool as long as he didn't make a move on her, Shiemi was too cute and naïve for her own good but was cute most of the time, and Konekomaru was sweet to her and even offered to help her study so he was safe. Sera couldn't help but laugh, only a few people were really safe from her and her opinions, that was a vast improvement from the previous zero.

"With a personality like that no wonder you're all alone."

Sera's head snapped up to see Kamiki go red in the face and Bon turn away steamed. So that's why she was such a bitch, for lack of a better word, she was scared of being alone. An understandable defense, but also highly ridiculous due to its counterproductive nature. Sera couldn't help it as an 'oooh' slipped from her lips. It was a good burn and a valid point, no one could fault that. Suddenly all the lights turned off leaving the group in complete darkness. The rocks tumbled off everyone's lap, except Rin, his tumbled onto his foot, causing Sera to snicker and get a glare from him.

"Who the hell turned the lights out?" She covered her eyes hoping to help them adjust, then gave up, they would adjust fast enough due to her training.

"Is it a blackout?" Everyone slowly adjusted to the darkness as Shima headed for the door.

"I'm going outside. I love stuff like this, it's like a real life test of courage. There's nothing here see?" But his nothing, was Sera's everything. A high level ghoul demon stared into the room, groaning at the open door. Sera knew she saw it before everyone else, but couldn't speak fast enough. Shima closed the door rubbing his eyes.

"My eyes must be playing tricks on me, either that or a demon-" An arm shooting through the door cut off his sentence and began his screaming. Shima rushed back to the group still in shock. Sera reached for her daggers and the array she always had with her to summon Actaeon. As she prepared to summon him she heard Mephisto in her head.

"_**And about your ghoul hound, keep him on lockdown, that would draw bad attention."**_

"Damn it." She muttered under her breath as she stashed away the paper, not that she really needed it. She could just summon him her normal way, but that would be a dead giveaway that she wasn't completely human.

'_So just us against this thing, and I can't use my spells or Actaeon.' _

Her eyes lingered on Rin for a moment noticing how he assessed the threat. She assumed her would draw his sword, but he didn't.

'_I'll ask him about that later… if we all get out of this alive I mean. I'm at a disadvantage, I can't seem like I know what I'm doing. Damn it! Damn the rules! I'll play along with Mephisto's damn rules until this gets serious...'_

Sera grabbed for her daggers as the demon's second head exploded its fluid on everyone. She grunted as some landed on her arms. It wouldn't bother her, but it would harm everyone else after a while. Sera was ready to pounce on the demon, when suddenly quiet Shiemi asked her familiar to erect a wall of thick roots.

"Nice going girl."

"Quick thinking Shiemi."

Everyone had to give her credit, she bought them all time, not much time, but time nonetheless. Sera watched Rin's face as he observed the demon split into two, then both of them watched in horror as their classmates began to cough and fall to their knees.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Rin looked around at everyone else panicked.

"That ghoul sprayed its fluid all over us, how come you're not affected?" Kamiki's gaze went back onto Sera too. Sera prayed that they weren't in the right mind to ask too many questions. Rin attempted to call Yukio as Sera went over to try to help Shiemi. Sera may not like the girl's naivety all that much but that barrier was saving them, without it, secrets would have to come forward.

"What are you doing?" Bon asked in between his coughs.

"I'm going outside and try to draw it away, if I can get it to follow me it gives you guys a chance to get out of here." Rin was ready to crawl through the barrier; he was serious. Sera stood up and walked over to Rin, no way in hell he was going out there.

"Have you lost your mind?" For once, Sera agreed with Bon. That was rare. Rin was a student like the rest of them, no way he knew how to handle that thing.

"No way, I'll go too. It's a high class ghoul, you'll need my help. This is about teamwork." Sera started to crawl through the barrier while making it known that that was a fact not a statement that could be disputed.

Once out of the barrier, half of the ghoul went after Rin, while one half stayed with the barrier.

"Hey, you ugly ass demon! Come and get me!" Sera kicked the ghoul clawing away at the barrier, infuriated that it ignored her.

'_They must be trying to recite verses in there… but Rin will need my help more than they will right now...'_

Sera tried to follow after Rin, but crashed to the ground as two ghoul hounds pounced on her. She scrambled back to regain her footing as they snarled at her.

'_You guys aren't mine, so I have no problem destroying you. Besides you're in my way.'_

Sera took off down the hall opposite Rin pursued by the two hounds. Once in the open, she spun on them with her daggers glowing.

"You're just the outlet I was looking for!"

The hounds snapped and stepped right into her dance macabre. She reveled in each spinning dodge and their snarls and howls. She plunged her daggers into the skull of the first hound as it snapped at her, barely cutting her shirt.

"Awww, I like this shirt… Oh well! One down! Next!"

The second hound proved to be more challenging, pulling a heartstring. it was so much like her dear Actaeon. She smirked at the charging hound, '_Not quite my Actaeon'_, Actaeon wouldn't head on charge her. He knew better.

"Time for you to go home now!"

She thrust her daggers forward as black smoke engulfed the hound smashing it to pieces. She sheathed her daggers and adjusted her rings as the lights flickered back on.

'_Rin!'_ And off she went at a dead sprint back towards the room arriving just in time to see Bon knock Rin down yelling at him.

"What's wrong with you, you wanna get killed?!" Bon started beating on Rin before being tackled by Sera.

"Leave him alone! You don't just beat on someone since they got their damn job done!"

"You both just left! How did you-"

"We aren't exactly fighting with our bare fists, Bon." Sera put her hands on her dagger sheaths then slowly pointed to Rin's sheathed sword. She shook her head and sighed.

'_Damn boys.'_

**Infirmary**

Sera silently sat next to Shima with her legs folded under her carefully cleaning her daggers. She listened as the boys talked, she was too preoccupied with her daggers and her thoughts about Rin and his sword.

'_So Rin and I are the only ones without IVs, so much for keeping me subtle Mephisto….damn clown, but why is Rin perfectly fine? That makes no sense, humans should be affected… Unless-'_

Her head snapped out of her thoughts as the ventriloquist spoke… with his puppet of course. That kid unnerved her, hearing that stupid puppet speak made it worse. She visibly flinched back trying to block its voice from her head.

"Whoa! They've been mysterious since the first day! And that guy rocks at ventriloquism." Rin sounded just as shocked as the others.

"Yea, maybe the demons will run at how creepy it is. I know I would." Sera muttered under her breath, not quietly enough since Rin cast her a look of confusion. She turned her attention back to her daggers for a moment, then to the waking Shiemi. She had to give the girl some credit, she really stepped up.

'_Saved me from having to blow my cover.'_

Just as she was in the midst of giving the girl credit, she took half of it back. Watching the girl stay like a zombie for a few seconds before realizing what the boys said then promptly denying her life-saving barrier.

'_She was doing so well… guess not every girl is strong.'_

"Hey Okumura, how'd you kill that ghoul all by yourself?" Sera gave the credit instead to the sharp memory of Konekomaru. That kid never missed a beat.

Rin stumbled for a minute before making a slightly coherent reply.

"Oh...well I, uh, I sorta, shoved this into it." Vaguely pointing to his sword, as if wanting to not talk about it. Sera chuckled, she really wanted to know why he was sheepish about his sword now.

"Okay, what do you mean shoved into it? Could you be anymore vague?" Bon wanted something he wouldn't get, and Sera had a feeling he knew it by the look of Rin's cheap smile.

"Fine then, what about you Sera? Weren't you with Okumura?"

Sera sheathed her now clean daggers and looked up at the boys.

"No, I got separated from him by a few ghoul hounds, no big deal," she smirked knowing her next words would agitate Bon, "I sorta shoved these into them." She laughed at loud at his grunts and grumbles. It was priceless.

"You're as vague as Okumura! God, could you two be any more alike?!"

Sera saw the opportunity and took it without hesitation.

'_Let's see if I can push a button or two...'_

"In more ways than one." She half smiled, satisfied with Rin's curious and slightly worried expression, and the other boys sheer confusion.

She went back to examining her nails and dagger sheaths as the boys picked on Rin for various reasons. She felt an almost appraising stare from Kamiki that shifted from her to Rin, then back to her again. She shrugged and didn't really care. She had more interesting things to think about, like a certain mysterious boy across from her...


	8. When Her World Turned Upside Down

_Author's Note: Enjoy guys! I hope this story is still interesting and you guys love it! Hopefully I'll be able to get more done on weekends! Please R&amp;R :D_

"Sera, I need you and Shiemi to move Rin."

Any other tone in his voice and Sera would have questioned him, but his eyes and tone echoed how serious this was. Even if it was ridiculously late at night and totally interrupting a study session led by Shiemi. Totally not because Sera needed help figuring out plants and their uses, definitely not the reason... Before her mind even registered what was happening Sera was helping Shiemi move Rin out of his bed and room in the next heartbeat. For all how much food he inhaled, Rin wasn't heavy, Sera honestly swore she could have moved him by herself.

'_Why does she have to be here? Why is she important? Could've done this myself.'_

Sera shook her head briefly stunned by how her thoughts sounded. That was new… What caused that mental outburst?

"Are you okay, Miss Sera?" Shiemi's voice quiet as if she didn't want to wake Rin, though Sera figured even a foghorn wouldn't wake him if he hadn't woken up already. Sera bit her tongue to stop the flow of odd thoughts filling her head and making her chest hurt, and just nodded instead. Best not to start anything, especially not with this weird feeling swirling in her head...

The two girls carefully laid Rin down on the floor, just a common courtesy.

"Rin?" Shiemi quietly whispered.

"Hell, I doubt that would wake him if us moving him here didn't."

To Sera's surprise he shot up like a rocket, clutching his pillow over his chest. He looked so embarrassed, so flushed, Sera laughed quietly it was actually kinda cute. Wait, what?

"Shiemi, Sera, what are you two doing in my room? Not that I mind or anything."

Sera slapped Rin on the back of his head as Shiemi shushed him.

"We aren't in your room idiot, we had to move beauty sleep into here. Yukio's orders." Sera sat down next to Rin playfully pushing him as he pushed back. The pushing and shushing halted at the ringing of gunshots.

"Stay here, both of you!" Sera harshly whispered, running her hands over her daggers and heading for the door.

"No way, Sera!" Rin reached grabbing her hand, but she pulled her hand back after staring for a second. At first glance her gaze seemed angry, but Rin saw through it. She was worried. Rin started to get up, but was pushed down as Sera's hands pressed against his chest. He watched her cheeks get pink as she snatched her hands away. What was going on with her?

"No Rin! Stay here and quiet! Please..."

Sera took off for the rooftops hands hovering over her daggers. She hoped Rin actually listened to her, or else this whole situation may go to hell fast. If Yukio was shooting, something was very wrong. She threw the door to the roof open, only to have it slammed behind her by a disembodied hand. Sera watched Yukio get tossed around by groups of hands then counter with holy water grenades. Flying hands? Geez, next pigs would fly… Her eyes fell on a crazed man who kept summoning more and more hands with his blood pouring down his arms, then summoned the largest ghoul she had ever seen. This was getting bad and fast.

"Yukio! Stay alive, I'm coming!" She charged the hulking monstrosity with her daggers at the ready only to get smacked into the bricks by a huge meaty hand. Her daggers skittered across the ground away from her. This ghoul was strong, stronger than any she had seen before.

'_Damn it...How can I take this thing down? It's too big for a tattoo summon... A circle! There has to be one...'_

She made a move to get up, but her eyes fell on Yukio horribly slumped against the wall across the roof. She brushed off the dust and dirt, adrenaline overpowering any pain.

"Damn it!" Sera snatched up her daggers and avoided the flying hands and the giant meaty monster. She would probably think of a clever nickname for that thing long after the battle. Damn instincts blocking her witty comments and names.

"Yukio, I know you probably hate me, but come on, get up!"

She tried to shake him to his senses and get him back on his feet as brilliant blue flames flared behind her.

'_As if this wasn't bad enough...'_

"Come on, if Satan is involved we need to leave! Now!" Yukio chuckled and waved her off. Was he insane? Maybe he hit his head too hard.

"I'm fine." Was all he said as he stumbled to his feet and reloaded his guns.

"Stubborn fool." Sera watched as he rejoined the fight, outlined by the blue flames. Every nerve in Sera screamed "run" but something in her heart told her "stay". For the first time, Sera didn't follow her gut and nerves. She froze in place, far enough away from the blue flames and the fight to not be involved, but close enough to observe. Though as she watched the behemoth pick up the flaming shape and a scream of sheer pain rang out, every nerve instead screamed "go over there". She froze as Yukio disrupted the circle and she saw Rin holding a sword swathed in blue flames to their former teacher Neuhaus' neck.

'_He...He is the flames. No… no that can't be.'_

She couldn't believe her eyes. Tail with blue flames, sword of blue flames, blue flamed horns, that could only mean one thing, he was the son of Satan.

'_He couldn't be! He is too sweet! Too kind! Too funny!'_

Images of every time they talked, every time he smiled flashed through her head, then everything faded to the sight before her. Rin, the son of Satan, holding their traitorous teacher, Neuhaus, at sword point. It made sense, why Yukio was so stressed when he asked the girls to move him, why Rin never unsheathed his sword, why he was so curious about the pages in her notebook about Satan and the Blue Night, why he was always so vague with the others and why he always went off by himself. All the pieces fell into place… Now she understood why Rin gave her look in the infirmary when she had earlier said they were so alike. Sera cursed herself for being so idiotic! She was supposed to be so observant, nothing was supposed to fool her, but he did. She never thought him capable of this much power. She felt…. betrayed? The word felt right on her mental tongue. It sat with the feeling growing in her gut. Though that feeling dimmed suddenly as she watched Rin nearly surrender himself to the teacher by slowly sheathing his sword.

"What the hell are you doing idiot?!" was what she meant to have ring out, but instead a small crack in her voice came out. Damn now even her voice betrayed her. Her head was pounding, her chest hurt, what the hell was going on?!

"If you think you're still not satisfied go ahead, I can handle more. I'm used to it, pick the time and I'll be there waiting for you. But you've gotta promise me that you won't drag innocent people into it again!" His blue eyed flashed up at Neuhaus and even from where she was standing, she swore there were tears brimming.

The raw emotion in the last part of his cry stole any breath Sera had. Even though he got stabbed, and this teacher admitted to wanting his death, the only thing Rin cared about was protecting innocent people. Her stomach flipped, betrayal was the wrong word, a horrible word that crossed her mind and poisoned her. She felt sick for thinking it in the first place. She slowly began to understand why he kept that side of him hidden, it was to protect everyone else.

"Rin…" tumbled out from her lips as she watched the two brothers. Sera made her escape as Shiemi distracted both of the brothers. She had to get away from this rooftop, she had to breath, she had to think. Everything was flipping upside down to fast. Sera felt eyes on her back as she jumped off the roof, but she didn't care. She had to get away.


	9. Conflicting Interests

"Dialogue"

'_Thoughts'_

_**Flashbacks**_

"_**Dialogue"**_

She didn't stop running until she hit a clearing in the forest. Undamaged, almost...untainted. It was far away from any of her previous battlegrounds and far enough away from the dorms no one could have followed her. The sky was sunny and warm, the breeze was cool, almost welcome against the heat, though to her everything felt wrong. She finally started to shake the thoughts of Rin betraying her, though after a while she began to question why she chose betrayal. It wasn't like they were close or anything. Right? She slumped down under a tree, shielding her eyes from the sun. She had to admit it to herself, when Rin surrendered himself to Neuhaus she wanted to run over and throw herself between them, or defend him, or just… dwelling on it pricked the edges of her eyes with tears and her chest with minor pains. She wiped her eyes, no she had never cried for anything except her sister, and she wouldn't, not for a guy, not for anything.

Then it hit her.

Pain exploded from her chest, tearing through her body, drowning her voice and filling her world with darkness. She clutched at her throat as she heaved, black liquid dripped from between her teeth. Each heave brought forth more and more, it smelled of rot and sulfur. The smell was nauseating on its own. Sera feared she would pass out from the pain, or from the smell before she could stop herself.

'_What the hell is happening to me?! Is this death?'_

The coughing and heaving was ripping her throat apart, but then she coughed forth a large mass of the black rot. She rubbed her eyes swearing she was hallucinating that the rot was forming into a small figure, no larger than her forearm. After blinking a few times, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stared at the little figure.

"Sera, my dear spy, I see you found the target."

Her eyes stared at the small demonic figure standing and talking to her. This thing...talked? To her? She had to be crazy…

"Sera, listen to your master when he speaks to you! I see you found our target." Her eyes snapped to the figure that now resembled Lord Astaroth. But her mind couldn't wrap around how he was here…

"Rin… you sent me here to find him?!"

"Of course, now you only have to send him home here to Gehenna." The figure waved its claws like that was obvious and she was stupid for asking.

"Boss, I-"

"Don't you fail me, or even think about quitting, or I assure you the pain will be ten times worse. Or maybe I could just kill you." Her hands flew to her throat trying to pull away the invisible hands suddenly choking her as the figure pointed at her throat with a hateful smirk.

"Please…"

The pressure lifted immediately.

"Sera. Do your job." That was all the figure said before disappearing into black smoke.

After collecting herself Sera slammed her fist into the ground. It clicked now, that rot was inside her. She was acting as a spy, and he could kill her if he wanted. Her hands were tied, she didn't want to die, but she couldn't bear to turn Rin into her boss. His intentions were pure evil, she could tell by his smirk. He only cared about him being the Prince, not about him as a person.

"_**From this day until your contract termination you are mine and mine alone, in body and soul. Do you understand, my little killer?"**_

**The little girl nodded without saying a word. The Demon King then engulfed the girl in rotten black smoke filling her lungs.**

'_He's had me pinned down since day one! Bastard!'_

"This power is a curse! It's my leash, my prison, and my executioner!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs. She didn't care about disturbing the calm of the forest and scaring off the curious wildlife, she didn't care how her throat burned as she screamed. She had to get it out. Sera clawed at the ground, at her face, at her arms, over her lungs, anything to dull the feeling of sheer helplessness. She had been outplayed. Since the day she nodded to him and his vile deal, she was his pawn, nothing more. The sun turned from a welcome friend to a spotlight, the wind highlighted her bleeding flesh, her rings glinted menacingly at her, the world was wickedly laughing at her. She made a deal with a demon years ago and now she was paying the price.

"So she had the black rot in her lungs, only for it to emerge when it was time for new instructions. Interesting."

Mephisto sat in his floating overly cushioned chair casually sipping his tea.

"The new development concerning her and her feelings towards Rin is also very interesting. For a skin-walker, she is quite a fascinating person."

Mephisto tapped his umbrella as if thinking of a new plan. Amaimon swayed on the tip of a nearby tree gazing down at Sera with a blank expression.

"Brother, may I go put her energy to better use? Such as playing with me?"

"No, no, now is not the right time."

Mephisto watched Sera scream and cry, studied her even as she raked her claws against the ground, her face, her arms and over her chest. He smirked, watching her go through these emotions like a small child learning them for the first time. He noted the hints of despair her body language gave off.

"I wonder, my darling student, what will you do? Will you follow your orders or your own choices? So many risks! So much to lose! I can hardly wait!"


	10. Blissful Ignorance

_IT'S ALIVE! I am so sorry for how long it has been for an update, so here is a sorta fluffy bonding chapter to make up for it. Please don't kill me. This story and the FMA one have not been abandoned. I promise they will get updated, I just have to go back and re-read my old writing (which is painful) and continue the tale. This will get updates, I promise. Thank you so much to all of you who have stuck with this story. I love you all so much, please R&amp;R it really helps me out. Okay, author rant/note over! Enjoy!_

_xoxo- Silver_

"Dialogue"

'_Thoughts'_

"Hey Yukio, have you seen Sera at all today? I've been looking for her everywhere, but I can't find her."

Rin leaned into their shared room waiting for an answer. He had a feeling that she was in a rush to go somewhere since she left her bag and her notebook in her room, she almost always had those books with her. Especially that tattered notebook that seemed to be near death.

"Oh Sera, hm… Have I…" Yukio trailed off suddenly panicked.

'_The rooftop with Neuhaus… She was there! She saw Rin and his flames, she panicked… now she's gone?! That could be very very bad!'_

"Nope! Haha haven't seen her!" Rin raised his eyebrows quizzically, his brother was horrible at telling lies.

"Yukio?" Rin's tone was half serious and half worried, "Is she in trouble?"

Yukio glanced at his brother and studied his look.

'_Damn, he seems really upset, maybe I should just… what harm could it do. Wait a minute… A lot actually.'_

"Yukio, you have that look again. You know where she is- tell me!"

"Fine! If you stop giving me that damn puppy face," he sighed, this wasn't going to end well, "She may have seen your moment with the blue flames this morning and then ran off…"

"Ran off?! Where to?! Oh crap, oh crap, that's really bad. You need to tell me where she is four-eyes!"

Yukio shrugged as Rin ran over to grab him by his collar as a sweet scent wafted into the room. Rin inhaled deeply and dropped Yukio.

"Ukobach doesn't use those spices. Who the hell is in the kitchen?!" Both both looked at each other horrified remembering the incidents with the finicky familiar and his vicious possessiveness of the kitchen in the past.

"You didn't make him go on strike again, did you Rin?!" Yukio began to break out in a cold sweat just thinking about the atrocities that Mephisto would make for them this time around.

"Why do you automatically assume its my damn fault?!" Rin snapped back at his brother while attempting to shake the phantom pains of Mephisto's cooking and the near-death experience it caused.

"It was last time!"

"That was last time four-eyes!"

Yukio pushed his glasses back up his nose and exhaled slowly.

"Fine then, since neither of us can remember upsetting Ukobach recently, why don't we carefully go see who it is?"

Rin shrugged already carefully inching down the hall as the sweet smell became nearly mouthwatering. He leaned forward against the side of the stairs straining his hearing, he swore he heard humming.

"Ukobach? Is that you buddy?" Rin doubted his faint whisper carried that far, but still, its the thought that counts right?

Glancing back over his shoulder, Yukio still wasn't behind him.

'_Whatever, like I need four-eyes, it's just the kitchen.'_

Rin nearly crawled on his stomach over to the counter then very carefully peeked over the top, then ducked to keep his jaw from slamming on the ground. He carefully peeked over again to see Ukobach humming along and pointing to the various spices questionably as a familiar shape with braided black hair mixed something that gave off the sweet scent.

"Hey there! What cha cookin'?" Rin jumped over the counter with his classic goofy grin and swung his legs watching the two.

Sera turned around and blushed quickly. She clearly hadn't expected to be caught by anyone, especially not Rin. She was just trying to forget the past hour in the forest. Nothing else worked, cold water didn't shake the dread and pain she felt, neither did running, or training, so she was at her last idea; an idea engrained somewhere in her brain with a pleasant feeling surrounding it, cooking.

"Oh hey… I just was cooking something to distract my mind."

"Ukobach, you just let her in here? No furious cooking competition like with me?"

Ukobach squeaked something and Rin immediately turned bright red then shook his head laughing.

"Do I want to know what he said?" She asked eyeing the little demon curiously.

"He said he let you cook because you seemed upset… and because you are really pretty."

Sera chuckled and gave Ukobach a light kiss on the cheek. The familiar swooned and fell back on the counter next to her. Rin shook his head went from sitting on the counter to leaning next to Sera.

"So what's wrong?" Rin quickly added another question to cover the sound of his stomach growling, "And what are you making it smells delicious?!"

Sera shied away from the first question. choosing to only answer his second.

"Just a recipe my mom taught me a long long time ago I think- here have a taste." She took a spare spoon, dipped it in, and passed it over to Rin's waiting hands, watching him as he poured it in his mouth and soon had a grin larger than she thought possible.

"That's amazing! You gotta show me how to make this!"

Sera couldn't help but blush. So she really did know how to cook, it just annoyed her she couldn't remember where she learned, and if it really was her mom's recipe.

"Sure, I'll show you sometime, only if you show me how to make at least half of those amazing meals you make."

"Deal!"

Sera sighed in relief that Rin completely forgot about what was bothering her. She didn't want to bring it up just yet, she hadn't exactly chosen a way to bring it up without freaking out.

'_Well it could be worse, he could be a mean son of Satan. I guess...'_

_"_So show me how you made this. I'm curious now!" And that was all it took to start the cooking classes and inevitable food fights.


	11. When Worlds Collide

_To make up for the long hiatus, here are two chapters in one night! Let me know what you think or what you want to see! Love you all, have a great night/day! xoxo- Silver_

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It wasn't her first idea. If she was being totally honest with herself, she really hated the idea somewhere deep down, but it was the only one she could think of. Sera Kanemoto needed help, and the only person who could help her was Yukio. She hated how so many scenarios in her head ended up with him either being angry or laughing at her, it made her feel helpless or just plain stupid. Her echoing footsteps didn't help her thoughts calm down, but she clutched her notebook closer to her chest and continued down the hall to the classroom door. She assumed he would be in the classroom since he wasn't in the dorm.

'He is a huge bookworm and a teacher, he doesn't have a life right?'

She paused in front of the door, the brass handle which was more intimidating to her than rabid ghoul hounds. As her hand closed around the knob, the door was pulled back as Yukio swung it open. Sera stumbled at the sudden movement letting out a yelp as her notebook skittered across the floor as Yukio looked on shocked and confused.

"Sera?" Yukio stepped back and adjusted his glasses. Sera quickly righted herself and grabbed her notebook off the floor.

"Yes, it's me, I need your help."

Yukio looked her over as if questioning her motives, then decided to move to the side and let her in. Sera sighed and flipped her hair over her shoulder casually whispering to Yukio as she walked by,

"No this isn't a bad sex scene coming up. I actually need help, like answers and advice."

Yukio froze in place as blood spurted out of his nose at the idea.

"I-I was not thinking that at all! Geez, Sera! Don't be so vulgar!"

Sera laughed as she turned around to face the flustered Okumura.

"You're reaction was priceless though, but enough with the fun. I actually need your help, as a friend, a teacher, I don't care. Just ….please?" Yukio looked as shocked as she felt as the word "please" tumbled from her mouth. The two stared at each other in silence before Yukio cleared his throat.

"Okay, help with what? It doesn't involve Rin right?" Sera froze for a moment thinking back to the food fight and cook off they had the other day; then her thought process reminded her of the blue flames, the sword, and the black rot as a knot began to form in her gut.

"No, it has to do with me. How did you know what I was? What do you know about my kind? Please, I just want answers. I have too many questions to be healthy. I mean no harm honest, you can put your gun away."

Sera placed the notebook down on Yukio's desk and leaned against it. Her tone may have been asking for help, but her body language refused to follow the game plan and appeared to be stuck between confrontational and defensive. Yet, she didn't blame Yukio for having his gun half-drawn under his trenchcoat. Many demons (though she still didn't put herself in that category) probably didn't enjoy being found out by an exorcist, especially not when they were wounded like she was at the time. Her violet eyes watched Yukio's arm as he re-holstered his gun and sat down behind his desk.

"Okay, I'll answer a few questions, but in return you have to answer some of mine."

Sera nodded her head solemnly.

"I'll answer what I can."

Yukio seemed to think over her answer before nodding and motioning her to continue.

"First off, how did you know I was a skin-walker?"

Sera crossed her arms across her chest, as if saying the word itself made her feel vulnerable.

"It was a guess I made after seeing the amount of jewelry you wear, especially after Rin let it slip that each ring had a meaning. Don't give me that skeptical look, no girl at this academy wears that much jewelry. The two final tips were that first Rin said demons picked a fight with you on campus which would be almost impossible due to the wards, but if it was true the fact that you got away with only bruises and cuts says something and the fact that your muscles were twitching due to immense stretching which only could have happened if a physical change occurred sealed the deal."

Sera stared at Yukio dumbfounded. He was smart, freakishly so if those minor things drew him to that conclusion.

"You-you figured it out based off that?"

"Well that and you hesitated when I said it while I was attending to your wounds, along with pupil dilation which happens from fear."

Sera tapped her nails on Yukio's desk. Her true identity may have been concealed from Yukio longer if Rin was able to keep his mouth shut, but then again Rin always seemed too excited to keep quiet for long.

"You're too smart. And Rin may talk too much..."

Yukio smiled then looked out the window before returning a more solemn gaze to Sera.

"I won't say you're wrong, Rin should talk less, but when he brought you back to the dorm that day, he looked panicked. He was so worried about you, he thought you died in his arms for a moment and it terrified him."

She never thought about that day mostly due to it hurting her pride to have someone so new in her life see her so weakened, yet she never imagined the effect it had on Rin.

"He-he was worried about me?" She thought back to how happy he was when she woke up and how he looked over her bruises with that sadness in his eyes. Suddenly a thought occurred to her and created a constricting feeling in her chest.

"Wait, Yukio, he doesn't blame himself for what happened to me? Right?"

Yukio watched the emotions flicker behind Sera's eyes after the final question. He couldn't understand this girl, one moment she is all tough and vulgar, but the next panicked over the thought of Rin blaming himself for her injuries.

"I don't think so. He never mentioned anything to me, except that he was happy that you were okay. Though knowing Rin, I wouldn't be surprised if he did blame himself for a bit. Ever since...well let's just say it's been an unhealthy habit of his."

Yukio hoped Sera didn't catch the stutter, but he was disappointed when she raised her eyebrows in a way that almost demanded him to continue his original train of thought.

"Sera, has he ever told you about our father?" Sera shook her head and leaned forward to hear the story, "It's a long story but the short of it is that one night a lot of demons came after Rin. Our father, Fujimoto, gave his life to defend Rin. Ever since that day, Rin has been on this crusade after the demon responsible for killing him."

Yukio stopped his story there, not wanting to give too many details away, but also because Sera was becoming rapidly pale. Yukio lept up to catch her as her knees gave way and gently laid her on the floor.

"Sera? Sera what's wrong?!" He doubted that the tale of their father figure caused this, but he was curious as to what did. He was so caught up in his thoughts, Yukio almost missed what Sera whispered.

"Fujimoto...it can't be... the same…"

"The same? What do you mean? Sera, answer me!" Seeing that he wasn't going to get much from her in this state, Yukio quickly decided to carry her back to the dorms so she could rest, but she was going to answer his question. Luckily, he had a key which brought them right to the dorm so he didn't have to carry her long.

**zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz**

"Hey Yukio! What's- Is she okay?!" Rin dropped his rice bowl and hurried over to help his brother with the pale girl in his arms.

"She's fine, she just fainted. Can you bring her up to her room? I'll bring her water." Yukio carefully handed Sera over to Rin and waited for his twin to leave before thinking aloud.

"How did Sera know Father Fujimoto? I don't recall him ever mentioning a girl like her… Hmmm." After retrieving a glass of water, Yukio began to ascend the stairs when it hit him.

**zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz**

_A young Yukio waits in the shadows behind the corner watching the doorway for his father Fujimoto to return to the church. He slinks back as the door opens ready to head back to his room in order to avoid trouble, but stops when he hears his father figure speak._

"_I can't believe Mephisto, that girl needed help and he just sends me away."_

_The older exorcist grumbled to himself as he hung up his overcoat._

"_I'll head back tomorrow after dropping the boys off. I have to know what was wrong with her. Something was off about her eyes, or was it her jewelry? Maybe it was something inside of her… Ugh just thinking about it makes me feel worse. I'll just go make sure the boys are asleep then I'll just stop thinking about it for tonight."_

**zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz**

Yukio slowly came back from the memory with a greater determination to get answers from Sera. He had to know what she knew, but did he really want to know? He tried not to think of horrible scenarios, but in his line of work worse case scenarios were more common than many preferred. He slowly walked up to the doorway and looked in to see Rin with his head bowed down holding Sera's hand. Yukio backed up a few steps and coughed and began to walk towards the doorway again to see Rin leaning back in the chair looking out the window and Sera's hand laid on her stomach. For his sanity's sake, he was going to ignore what he saw and focus on making a list of pointed questions for Sera to answer when she awoke.


	12. Not Who You Say You Are

_Sorry for making you lovelies wait so long, I had to find my muse all over again and fix the plot a bit. I hope this chapter makes sense, it was a midnight write and edit. Please R&amp;R it really helps keep me motivated! Xoxo- Silver_

'_It can't be him, no, no, this is too much. Is this some sick clusterfuck of events all tied together? The sword, Fujimoto, Rin,...God! I can't even think straight… I barely have memories to call upon to even try to make connections. Yukio, he is the only way I'll get any answers, but he would kill me if he found out who I worked for...' _Sera groaned as the weight of the situation settled on her chest and lungs. She forced her eyes to open and immediately noticed the change of scenery. The dorms, again.

"I really need to stop ending up here…" Sera pushed herself up, running her hands over her face. She must have fainted due to information overload, that would possibly explain the raging headache. Carefully sliding out of the bed, Sera carefully balanced herself until her legs realized what their job was again. The muffled voices downstairs explained why Rin wasn't in the room with her, but it also peaked her curiosity. Stepping silently down the hall until Sera felt slightly guilty for attempting to eavesdrop, but she knew how delicate of a situation she was in. It was a balancing act, one that was quickly falling apart.

"She fainted after I mentioned Fujimoto, Rin! It has to mean something!"

"Maybe you just spooked her or something, why does everything have to mean something to you?"

"Rin, think for a moment, we don't know much about her but she is a good fighter, she is a skin-walker on top of that, what else could she be hiding?"

"So what?! We all are hiding secrets here, four-eyes! Besides you can't bully your way into someone's life, especially someone who is already suffering! Don't you ever hear her cry in the middle of the night, or scream to someone who isn't there?! We have no right to pry Yukio!"

Sera's breath caught momentarily, they both were curious, but only Yukio was pushing for information. Rin was the one making him stand down. At first she felt relieved and happy, but then a darker feeling overtook her, she could use this situation to her advantage, play them like chess pieces. She could be the gamemaster but appear as a pawn. Sera's mind froze, caught between the two ways of thinking. Hesitation. That was all it took for the pain to begin to creep into her lungs, tightening them with each inhale and exhale. Even after shutting down her thought train, she couldn't shake the dark feeling slowly covering her mind. She felt as if she was slipping somehow, losing something-

"Hey Sera! You look a lot better! You okay now?" Rin asked as he bounded over to her and slung his arm over her shoulders, if she were anyone else she would have missed the glare shared between the twins.

"Yeah, I probably didn't eat enough earlier, that's all." It was a lie. A blatant lie, but it was needed. Rin's body was too tense and Yukio needed an excuse. She was going to play the two twins.

"Maybe Rin, you should go make us some food? How does that sound?" Sera felt that Yukio caught on to her motive. Good, one step down.

"Oh sure! I'll make the best lunch ever!" Rin smiled at Sera before racing off to the kitchen.

Left alone, the two teens stared each other down, neither really wanting to make the first move.

"Why did you faint after I mentioned Fujimoto?" Yukio broke the silence first, watching carefully as Sera hopped up onto the nearest table as if this were casual conversation.

"Because I had met him once, and he saved my life. I couldn't believe it was the same man that adopted you two." Sera's eyes were cool and calculating, making Yukio feel smaller in their gaze.

"How did he save you?" Yukio pulled a chair over and sat down without dropping his gaze from Sera's.

"I believe this game is played by going back and forth, otherwise it is an interrogation not a game." The easy childlike glint to her eye was added to the list of things Yukio would study later. He wanted to figure Sera out, she was a puzzle to him; a complex puzzle with dark pieces shrouded by mystery and fear. The need to solve her was intensified as he noticed Rin seeming to fall for her more and more everyday.

"Fine then, ask away."

"Fujimoto wasn't your real father, was he?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"Just getting confirmation." Sera checked that off her list. Both of them were Satan's sons, but only one inherited the power. Now she understood why her boss wanted Rin instead of Yukio.

"Where are you really from?"

Sera paused momentarily. Her truthful answer would raise a few more questions, but then she could also gain more of his trust. However, by the same hand the truth could lock her out of his trust circle permanently.

"I honestly don't remember." It was true enough, she honestly didn't know where she came from before she made Gehenna her home. Sera contemplated her next question, it was a gamble, but she was willing to risk everything for the answer.

"Rin's sword controls his powers, doesn't it?"

Yukio hesitated, he was beginning to really feel the heat from this "game". It unnerved him how cool and calm Sera was. This wasn't the girl who laughed and talked with Rin all the time, this was a different girl entirely. There was no fire in her eyes, instead they were like ice. Something was off about her, something darker was staring back at him through those violet eyes.

"You're not really Sera, are you?" Yukio knew this could end the game and prevent him from getting answers to his other questions, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, very wrong.

"Yes and no," was the only answer given before the girl hopped off the table and slowly walked outside leaving the doors to swing closed behind her. Yukio stood up in shock, he was right, that wasn't Sera he was talking to, that was someone- no something else.

"Hey, where did Sera go?" Rin emerged from the kitchen holding a tray filled with food.

"She had to go get some fresh air, she will be back soon, probably." Yukio wanted to tell Rin something, anything at all, but he needed more information. He needed to know who Sera was before he brought up anything to Rin, he knew that Rin was falling for her, he needed a plan before one of them- or both of them got hurt.

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

Sera barely made it to the woods before retching up more of the black rot. She leaned against the nearest oak and slid to the ground. Mentally weary, as if her mind had been toyed with. Violated, that was the word she wanted. Her mind and body felt violated, as if someone took over and shoved her aside.

"That wasn't me talking...I wouldn't have asked those things… I had other questions, but I can't remember them."

"You know dear, talking to yourself in the woods would lead anyone to think you were insane." Sera jumped as the voice interrupted her musings. Though her surprise quickly disappeared as her eyes landed on Mephisto sitting up in a nearby tree.

"Many would also think a man dressed like a clown in a tree was insane."

"Ah, the pot calling the kettle black. Yet, think about it my dear, you claim to have lost control of yourself, even saying things you had no intention of, that is insanity." Sera dropped her head down and pulled her knees close to her chest trying to block out the cold feeling that washed over her as that darkness filled her mind.

"What is happening to me?"

"Oh I can't answer that, it would spoil the fun." Mephisto floated down from his spot in the tree and tilted Sera's head up with the tip of his umbrella before leaning in close and whispering to the girl with a joker smile plastered on his face, "but know this Sera, you truly are going insane."


	13. Insanity's Rotten Kiss

_Two chapters in one night! That could be really good or really bad, I pray that it is good! Hope y'all still love the story! More insanity coming up, hope you are prepared! Please R&amp;R it helps me write more :) Xoxo- Silver_

Sera tossed and turned all night, sleep eluding her every time she tried. Her mind was racing about too much at once, she was a fast thinker, but this was overload. Her chest was still sore from that damn black rot earlier, and her heart was still pounding in fear from Mephisto's words. She stared blankly at her ceiling as she tried to logically piece together her thoughts. It made no sense to her that when Rin started to talk to her she wanted to tell him about the rot that was inside her. She barely knew him, let alone trust him with something that damning. Besides, she was supposed to be a spy of sorts, not a typical teenage girl falling for guys. She couldn't love, she was a monster. Sera shook her head clearing- or attempting to clear it- of images of how she felt in her monster state. She felt strong, but also ugly, and tainted, as if something was off.

"I hate this…" Sera muttered as she slid out of bed, running her hands over her face.

She glanced at her clock only to groan, it was only 1am.

"I need to think… I don't want to die, but turning in the only person who has been nice to me and sees me as a person is just wrong, son of Satan or not."

The cold window was soothing against her skin, but all too fast it warmed up with her touch.

"_You're weak. Why would a boy as powerful as him like someone like you? Imagine what he could do if he ever turned against you all."_

Sera whipped her head around looking for the owner of the voice.

"Who's there?"

"_You know it in your mind that turning him in is better for everyone. Don't you?"_

"No, you're wrong. He belongs here, Gehenna won't see him as a person. They only care about power and status."

"_Oh, and you do? You see him as a weapon, a tool to be used then tossed. I know you, I know what you think, what you feel, I know everything."_

"No you don't! Where the hell are you?!" Sera sighed and covered her face with her hands. She has to be going crazy, no one was in here, she was alone. She was talking to no one, and if she was too loud she would have a grouchy Yukio to deal with.

"Probably just lack of sleep. Yeah, haven't really slept for a whole week, that's probably the reason." Sera paced around for a few minutes before slamming her hands over her ears. A ringing sound blared throughout her room, as if someone was trying to make her go deaf. The metallic screeching sliced through her hands and grated on her mind worse than nails on a chalkboard or a fork on a plate. She had to get out. Away from that noise, before she screamed. Running down the halls wouldn't do, this sound was killing her, her knees could barely stand it. The thought of taking her hands away from her ears scared her more, this sound wouldn't stop, it was horrible, as if the sound was cutting her flesh, like it was trying to flay her alive.

"_You are a only an object! An object undeserving of affection! A murderer! A monster! Save what's left of yourself and turn the prince over! You've always been alone, you always will be! You were born alone!"_

"Make...it...stop…"

"_Alone!"_

"_Monster!"_

"_He will never care for you!"_

"_Be the monster you were born to be!"_

_"Embrace your darkness!"_

"Stop...stop!" She couldn't even hear her own voice over the screaming sound. Her instincts took over, the sound became a dull roar in the back of her mind as everything became a blissful black.

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

The stars stared down at her body lying on the roof, cool nighttime breeze gently tugging at her hair. A white dress torn slightly and broken glass scattered around her, faint cuts trickled blood down her skin, her hands still tightly clasped over her ears. Her hands slowly twitched and moved away from her ears. Silence. Sweet, beautiful, golden, silence. Her violet eyes flickered open, observing her new surroundings. The chill shivered up and down her spine causing her to sit up slowly, rubbing her temples gently.

"What...happened?" Sera looked at the window a fair distance away then down at the broken glass around her. Her brain slowly filtered in the rest. She groaned as her body registered the dull ache from her tumble on the tiles and the sting of all the cuts across her body. Jumping out of her window wasn't the first idea she had, but apparently it was the one her instincts chose.

"At least it's finally quiet."

She didn't need to think about that voice, she had heard it before. After her earlier incident with the black rot in her lungs, she figured the voice was part of the curse. It had the same echoey sound that Astaroth's avatar had. She looked up at the full moon, basking in its light for a moment and breathing in the cold night air. Her mind was still, her heart calmed down, everything in her world slowed down to a crawl for a moment. Sera glanced at the moon once more before glancing back to the dorm.

"I'm a monster. But I won't be a traitorous monster. I know where my loyalties lie." She silently promised as she jumped off the roof, white dress billowing behind her. Plans had to be made. She was going to end it all, one way or another, but everything had to fall in place first.


	14. Survival Is The Only Way

_I'm on a roll! Hope you guys are still enjoying the story, because things are going to be heating up soon! Drop a review and let me know what you think of the story! Love you all Xoxo-Silver_

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

Rin's eyes snapped open as Sera's scream tore through the dorm. 'Stop' was the only real word that he heard, everything else just sounded like cries of agony.

"Sera!" Rin jumped out of his bed and reached for his sword.

"Rin, where are you going?" Yukio groggily asked as he reached for his glasses. Though the sound of shattering glass answered before Rin could open his mouth. Snatching their respective weapons, the twins darted out of the room and down the hall to Sera's room. The two stopped dead in their tracks at the door and examined the destroyed room. Books thrown everywhere, the shattered window with the remaining curtains swaying gently in the breeze, yet the sight that held their attention was the large claw like gash next to the window. Yukio stepped up to the mark as Rin rushed to the window poking his head out.

"I don't see her. She must have been dragged out or something! Come on we have to find her!" Rin stepped out of the window and onto the tiled roof trying to follow the trail of broken glass down the roof. Yukio glanced at the gash once more, before joining Rin on the roof.

"The glass trail is heavier here, come on Rin." Yukio pointed along the trail that slid down the roof towards the forests. Rin was about to sprint down the trail before Yukio grabbed his arm.

"Hang on Rin, we can't rush in there. We don't know what's going on, what if there is a demon involved?" Rin huffed and waved his sword in Yukio's face.

"Then I'll use this! She already knows, Yukio!"

"And alert another demon to your powers? Think something through for once, Rin!"

Yukio let go of Rin's arm and slowly followed the trail down the roof, careful not to slip. At the end of the roof Yukio knelt down and tried to use the moonlight to catch a trail.

"It leads into the forest. See, over there that's part of the curtain." Rin pointed over to the lone scrap of fabric on the ground before jumping down off the roof and waiting for his twin.

"Are we going or what, four-eyes?" Yukio studied Rin's expression for a moment before jumping down carefully and following Rin into the woods. Rin looked serious, but his eyes were worried. He actually listened to Yukio, he was trying to think his actions through, but the thought of Sera being hurt again or even taken hostage was eating away at his mind. Yukio watched Rin's eyes go through varying waves of emotions as the duo tried to find a trail in the woods.

"Rin, we will find her." It wasn't much, but Yukio had to say something. It didn't feel right for Rin to be so quiet.

"I know. We have to." The duo paused for a moment. Yukio was trying to hear anything, while Rin was still looking for a trail, yet both came up empty. The woods were silent, not even the insects were making noise. The ground was clear of glass and they hadn't seen any fabric since the shred of curtain that led them into the woods. Yukio prepared to break the news to Rin that they weren't going to find anything tonight when a howl broke through the night. The two turned and faced the direction of the howl, before looking at each other and decided it was worth a try.

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

Sera glanced around the woods after Actaeon howled.

"Sh! Do you want me to get caught?" The hound just tilted his head at his mistress who just rolled her eyes.

"Don't play innocent, I know you better than that."

Sera sat down in the grass staring up at the moon. This was only the first part of her plan. She refused to admit it, but deep down she was scared. This was the biggest gamble she had ever taken, if it didn't work she would be failing a lot of people. Her fingers tugged at the bottom of her white dress. This dress felt familiar, as if she had seen it before. The soft fabric slid out of her fingers as the wind around her picked up. The smell of rot filled the air around her.

'_Here I go.'_

She readied herself for the pain she knew was coming. Sure enough, the burning sensation tore through her body as the black rot ripped through her throat and onto the ground around her.

"Why are you calling me, Sera? Your mission isn't complete." The avatar of Astaroth seemed bigger this time and angrier. Sera fought back tears as the burning in her throat subsided. No matter how she braced herself, the pain was still unbearable. It felt like she was being torn apart then reassembled with rusty tools.

"I have a plan to deliver the Prince to you, my Lord, but I require your permission to execute it as I see fit." Sera slowly raised her eyes to meet the rotting avatar before her. Asking him for freedom was risky, but this had to go according to plan, or else everything would fall apart. The avatar raised his claws to his chin before he began to circle Sera like a shark. She could feel his stare from all angles. He was thinking over her proposal.

'_Please work, please work.'_

"Very well, I guess I can give you some freedom, but know that if you fail me," pain flared all over Sera's body, she felt as if she were melting into the ground, "I can give you a fate worse than death."

Sera tried to answer him through the pain. She knew that he was waiting, and the pain wouldn't stop until she answered. Actaeon growled at the avatar, as his mistress writhed in pain. The avatar waved his hand at the beast causing it to vanish.

"Be gone hound! Know who your true master is."

Sera forced her mouth open against the pain and tried to force out words, yet the blinding pain stole her breath and sent her sprawling on the forest floor. Without Actaeon at her side, she was even more vulnerable. This wasn't going according to plan.

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

The twins reached the clearing to see Sera writhing on the forest floor as a mass of rot and decay spread around her. Yukio pulled out his pistol, but his arm was forced down by Rin.

"What are you doing, Rin?!" Yukio couldn't see his brother's face, but he could feel the anger radiating off him.

"You could hit her. It's all around her. I got this." Rin dropped the red sheath for his sword.

"Are you crazy, Rin?!" Rin spun around to face Yukio, his eyes deadly and serious.

"That's the same rot from the night the old man died. I have to do this." Rin left no room for argument as he drew his sword and charged the rot around Sera. Sera cracked her eyes open as the rot around her flared with blue flames. She watched Rin cut through the thick rot left by the avatar of her boss and how the flames made the rot burn away.

'_So pure. So bright.'_

Sera reached a hand forward towards the flames, fighting through the pain of what was inside her. The flames were warm, but not burning. Her skin felt fine, no pain at all.

'_His flames don't hurt me? But why?'_ Sera felt the pain alleviate as the rot was burned away by Rin and his sword.

"Sera, are you okay?" Yukio and Rin were kneeling on either side of her waiting for an answer. Rin had his sheathed sword on his back once more and Sera felt his hand very close to her own. Yukio was looking her over for any external injuries and making sure the surrounding area was clear.

"Yeah, I'm good now. Thanks, guys." The boys quickly helped Sera up off the ground and offered her support as they turned back towards the dorms.

"What happened? Like why was all that rot there?" Rin nervously waited for her to answer, but was very aware of the fact that Sera was holding his hand now.

"Some nightmares don't fade away I guess." It was enough of answer for now, though their faces told her that many more questions would follow later.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Sera looked down at the ground then slowly up at Rin's face. He was smiling, but it was different from his normal one. This one was subdued, like more in relief than in joy. He caught her eye and his smile intensified, but he couldn't hide the hint of blush crawling onto his cheeks. Sera smiled slightly and looked up at the moon.

'_All according to plan.'_


	15. Set It In Stone

_So I'm back with another chapter for Sera and the crew! Hope you guys have a great day/night! I'll try to keep updating this and my various other ones. Please review, it really helps me out and lets me know if there is anything you guys think I'm missing or need to improve on. Love you all! Xoxo- Silver_

**_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ_**

It was supposed to be simple. Plan it out, then execute the plan. Cut and dry, one-two step. Not this tangled mess of emotions and thoughts seeping into every crack and crevice of her plan. Sera felt a rift dividing her from everyone else in her classes. Everything was turned upside down in her world, she could barely tell what was real or not. Rin tried to talk to her a few times after the incident in the forest, but she shrugged him off. She wasn't ready, she hadn't scripted her dialogue to fit the plan. Plan this, plan that, tread lightly here, avoid this entirely, it was eating her up inside. Classes were slipping by her, her grades were falling and Yukio was getting irritated with her. She felt it, but couldn't bring herself to try anymore. Her mind was obsessed with the rot closing in on her from the far corners. She was a walking time bomb, and she knew it now. Everything had to be in place before that final countdown, or else...she didn't want to think about what would happen.

"Hey, Sera...class ended about ten minutes go."

Rin awkwardly leaned on her table and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Huh? Oh yeah...guess I was thinking too much…" Blush spread across her cheeks as she looked away from Rin. Getting caught up in the clouds was bad enough, getting caught by Rin was worse. Her stomach flipped as Rin leaned down to her eye level.

"Are you really okay? You've been really distant lately. I'm kinda getting worried."

Sera quickly stood up and tried to walk away as Rin grabbed her arm halting her mid-step.

"Sera! Stop trying to run away everytime I talk to you. Please…"

The tone of his voice stopped her heart. He was… sad? Sera's heart hated the sound. Rin wasn't supposed to be sad, he was supposed to be happy.

_Damn it all… I can't just leave him like this… _

Mentally preparing to face her fears, Sera slowly turned to face Rin. The sadness barely contained in his bright blue eyes almost caused Sera to cave in right there and tell him everything.

"I'm… I'm sorry Rin. I've just had a lot on my mind…"

_Well, that's not a lie. One point to my self-control for now._

"Sera, you can talk to me. If it is about the rot in the forest, you don't have to worry anymore. We got rid of it, you saw that."

As Rin kept trying to reassure her, Sera's heart crept up her throat and threatened to spill out if she dared to part her lips.

_Mayday! Mayday! Abort mission progress! Retreat!_

Rin noticed a slight shift in Sera's eyes and quickly pulled her close. The warmth of Rin's body startled Sera out of her thoughts. Was this a hug? Quickly looking around at her immediate surroundings confirmed it. Rin was hugging her, tightly.

_Why is he hugging me?! Doesn't he know this makes me feel things I don't understand?! It distracts me! The plan must-... hey, this isn't so bad...in fact… I kind of like it…_

As Sera's arms slowly wrapped around Rin, his eyes snapped open.

_Oh my god, is she...she is! Finally, a little progress! Go me! Wow, she is really nice to hug…_

After a few moments, Sera's mind forced her to pull away; internally berating her for giving in so easily.

"You're really nice to hug…"

Sera laughed for the first time in days while Rin turned bright red as he realized what he let slip.

"You really think so?"

"Wait! I-I didn't mean to let that slip...but yes.. now that you heard that...you are really nice to hug Sera."

"You are so cheesy, Rin. But thanks, I'll be sure to remember that."

Rin smiled softly and rubbed his neck nervously.

"Well, now that I've officially made an idiot of myself, wanna head back to the dorms for some food?"

Sera's smile was all the answer he needed as the two walked back towards the dorms laughing about anything and everything , careful to stay away from any topics even remotely related to demons.

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

_Later that night…_

Sera flopped onto her bed and stared at the blank pages of her journal. She had to write it down. Set the plan in stone so it won't change at all. Pen. That's what she needed. Thick, black ink to solidify her means and motives. Scrambling through her bag, Sera found an old pen and tested it. Perfect.

"Now to just solidify it. No more changes. This has to be done."

One, two, three minutes passed her by and the page remained blank, pen hanging precariously over the start line. _Tap. Tap._ Two black dots stare back up at Sera. It should have been simple. Write down the plan, confirm what had to be done... so why did it feel like a crime to lower the pen any further?

"Why can't I do this… I can't decide!"

Sera closed the journal, then flipped it back open.

"I can't back out. I'm a time bomb… I need that plan to get out of this alive…"

Sera closed her eyes and face-planted onto the pages before her. If she couldn't agree on the original plan, then why was a new one so hard to think of? Why couldn't she agree on a single plan? Thousands of scenarios played out before her eyes. Each one more depressing than the last. As she lay there contemplating which plan had an agreeable balance of survival change and lack of collateral damage, a new plan struck her.

"Fine, I'll just do go with this one."

Finally, the blank pages stopped haunting her. She stared down at the ink filled page and smiled. It was perfect. It was permanent.

"This nightmare will end. And I'll be the one to do it."


	16. What Have I Done

_Hello, lovelies! Hope you all are having a great day/night! Here is the next chapter hot off the press, or well you all know what I mean! Enjoy, please R&amp;R, it helps me keep going! Xoxo- Silver_

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"Okay, you guys can't tell me that they aren't together! Look at them!" Shima leaned back in his chair as he whispered to Bon and Konekomaru using his eyes to point at Sera and Rin. Bon glanced up at the duo in question and shrugged.

"Ever thought about putting that much thought into your homework rather than other people's love lives?"

Konekomaru chuckled quietly as Bon looked back down at his textbook pages and Shima's jaw dropped.

"Bon, now is not the time for joking! Look at them! No way Rin hasn't made a move yet."

Konekomaru shook his head sadly. At this rate, Shima's grades were going to fall even further.

"You should be focusing on your homework, Shima, we won't be here to save your grades every time."

"Both of you are missing the point!"

"Missing what point?" Yukio's voice silenced the trio as he turned to face them from the front of the class. Konekomaru lowered his head down apologetically. Leave it to Shima's loud voice to get them in trouble. Bon leaned back to smack Shima on the back of the head before turning to face Yukio.

"Sorry, he was having a stupid moment." Yukio seemed satisfied with this answer and turned back to finish writing notes on the chalkboard. Bon shot Shima a look that explicitly told him not to do anything else stupid. Before Bon turned back to continue reading his textbook, he noticed Sera staring intently at something outside the window. Curious, he turned to the window to see what had caught her attention, and saw nothing but a wisp of a shadow disappear.

_Weird...wonder if she saw anything or was just being her spacey self…_

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He was right there. Watching her, checking up on her. She was sure of it, no object near the window could have cast a shadow that looked exactly like his hateful eyes staring at her. Sera shivered in her seat before trying to focus back on the lesson.

_I have time...he promised to let me do this my way...then again, he could be getting impatient._

Sera quickly shut down her thought process to prevent it from going any further. She had a plan, she was going to present it...well part of it to Astaroth soon. Nervously, she began to fiddle with her rings and necklaces. What if it wasn't good enough for him? He wouldn't kill her on the spot, would he?

"You okay? You're looking a bit uneasy." Sera registered Rin's hand on her shoulder and relaxed slightly. She couldn't let him really know what was bothering her. It was too soon.

"Yeah, just getting antsy. I want to be outside."

Rin smiled and nodded.

"I feel that. He may be my brother, but he is sooo boring. I got all the charm, didn't I?"

Sera chuckled and playfully pushed Rin. How come he was able to get her to relax so quickly? With just a few words, he soothed her nerves and even got her to feel...safe?

"More like you got all the ego."

Yukio snapped his book closed and sighed.

"I hope at least some of you learned something today. I can't speak for everyone…" His icy gaze fell on Sera and Rin then on Shima.

Sera leaned back and shrugged.

"Yeah, we did. Thanks for teaching us about how to prevent ghoul bites from getting infected. Let's hope we never have to fight a ghoul though."

Yukio stared at Sera stunned, he was sure she was either asleep or daydreaming through the entire lesson.

"Good job, Sera. If everyone understood it that well, then you all are dismissed for the day."

Rin stared at Sera with wide eyes before composing himself.

"You got all that? You were dead asleep for the first half, then talking to me for the second half."

"I didn't make it this far in life without picking up a few skills."

Sera smirked and playfully winked at Rin as she gathered her things and prepared to leave. He didn't have to know she already knew all of this or the fact she just made up that up on the spot and got really lucky she was right.

"Are you heading back to the dorm, Sera? If you want I'm totally down for like grabbing ice cream somewhere."

Sera blushed slightly at the invitation, but she knew what she had to do before anything else.

"Actually, I'll catch you back at the dorms. If you want, bring me back some."

With a smile and a wave, she vanished from the room and quickly made her way down the hall. Making sure no one could see where she was heading, Sera headed for the woods and sprinted until her legs felt like they were going to give out. She looked around and hoped she was deep enough that no one was going to stumble across her.

"I see you noticed I was watching you, my pet."

If the forest was chilly before, it became downright frozen as the voice reached Sera's ears. She slowly turned and came face to face with a large shadowy version of Astaroth.

"I would be an idiot if I thought for a second you weren't watching me."

The avatar smiled viciously and placed a rotten shadowy hand on her cheek. Her body wanted to shiver and pull away from the grotesque feeling, yet she forced herself to stand as still as a statue.

"I'm impressed, you've spent so much time around idiotic humans, yet you still are as sharp as ever."

"I'm flattered, my Lord, yet I know this form wasn't created for you just to compliment me. I assume you're here to check up on my progress?"

Astaroth pulled his hand off Sera's cheek and placed it on her throat instead.

"You're moving too slow. I grow impatient as do my siblings. You better speed this up, or else…"

Sera refused to show any fear. Instead, she stared directly into the shadowy pits of the avatar and kept her voice even.

"Two weeks. Give me two weeks and I will hand deliver the Prince to you myself."

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"What is taking her so long?" Rin groaned and laid back on the table staring at the lone cup of ice cream next to him. She said she would be along soon. Soon wasn't an hour, or even an hour and ten minutes, soon was supposed to be like ten minutes. After about thirty minutes of waiting on her, he went ahead and ate his own ice cream. At about fifty minutes, he began to regret eating his just in case she showed up and said she was just running late. Now, he was just worried about where she was.

"Maybe she forgot? Nah, that isn't Sera. She is always on time for things, especially when she is hanging out with me… Now that I think about it, this is the first time she has ever been late to anything…" Rin stared up at the sky before glancing at the melting ice cream. Five more minutes, then he would leave. Even though he already said that same phrase since the twenty minute mark passed. Clouds lazily passed overhead in the clear blue sky as Rin lay back down on the table bored out of his mind. Rushing footsteps shook Rin out his daze as they sounded closer and closer.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be so late! I was reading a chapter in my book, then one turned into five, then so many more and I am so sorry!"

Sera stopped running and leaned down to try to catch her breath. Her braid was a little messy and her face was red as if she ran all the way here, and Rin was speechless for few moments.

"Ah, it's okay...did you run all the way here?"

Sera looked up at him, violet eyes portraying a mixture of worry and guilt.

"I did! I'm so sorry for making you wait…"

Rin hopped off the table and hugged her tightly.

"No worries! I was protecting your ice cream! I'm just glad you're here now."

Sera laughed and slowly regained her breath as she hugged Rin back.

_I could really get used to this...wait, stop. You know you can't._

To prevent her thoughts from buzzing around her head, she let go of Rin and hopped up on the table before digging into her ice cream.

"Wow, maybe I should keep someone like you around. You know, to protect my ice cream in the future."

Rin blushed and nervously rubbed his neck before jumping up on the table to sit beside Sera.

"You know… I was kinda thinking, ever since that one demon attack…"

"Rin-"

"Hear me out, I was thinking maybe I could upgrade from ice cream and protect you instead."

"Rin...you don't know what you're-"

Rin turned to face Sera with the most sincere look in his eyes.

"I know what I'm doing Sera. I mean it. I really like you and I want to protect you because you mean a lot to me…"


	17. Plans Didn't Account for Him

_I live! I'm back with another chapter! Thank you to all of you who stuck with this story, it means a lot to me. Please R&amp;R as always to let me know what you think. I'll try to update again soon, but we know how life likes to run me over. Xoxo-Silver (I'm sticking with that even though my name changed!)_

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_Shit, shit, shit, this isn't going according to plan at all. He wasn't supposed to catch me off guard like that._

Sera paced around her dorm room constantly running her hands through her loose ebony locks. Everything spiraled out of control after that moment. She wanted to be angry with herself, wanted to verbally abuse herself for going off her carefully made script, but she couldn't bring her lips to spill lies she didn't believe. For all the careful planning she did, she forgot the most obvious aspect, the plan didn't account for him developing feelings for her. Closing her eyes, she could still perfectly see the moment from hours earlier.

_His bright blue eyes showcased his feelings, begging her to show him that she felt the same. Pure adoration and concern pierced through Sera's defenses bringing her mentally to her knees. All her life, she had never seen a single person look at her that way. She had no clue how to respond, her heart slammed against her chest as everything faded to silence in her world. Rin's words constantly repeated in her head. He liked her… he wanted to protect her, but he had no clue what that meant, he had no idea how his words turned her stomach to ice and formed a guilty void that began to eat away the remnants of her soul. But her heart… it didn't feel cold… it felt like it was on fire… like it was alive for the first time in years. His voice calling out to her barely surfaced among the torrent of thoughts and swirling emotions._

"_-re you okay? D-did I do something wrong?"_

_Sera snapped back to feel his warm hands holding her gently keeping her steady._

"_No," Sera cleared her throat to remove the shakiness from her voice, "you didn't do anything wrong. I...I just never had anyone want to protect me before." _

_She wasn't lying, no one ever stood up for her before, not even her boss. She studied Rin's eyes watching his nerves calm, the tightness in her chest lessened at the sight. Then without hesitation, he gently smiled and pulled Sera into a tight embrace. She could feel his heart hammering against his chest, almost in perfect time with hers. _

"_I was scared for a second there. You went really white…"_

_Sera wrapped her arms tightly around Rin, ignoring every thought that screamed at her to stop in her mind. This felt...right. This felt warm, nothing else mattered to her in this moment._

"_I feel the same for you..." The words slipped from her lips so quietly for a second she thought he didn't hear her at all, yet as his arms tightened around her and a light chuckle of relief brushed against her neck, she knew he heard her. She felt her guard dropping and for once, she didn't care. For this moment , it was okay, it was just the two of them in the world. After a few moments, Rin slowly pulled away and gazed into Sera's violet eyes._

"_I really like you...so what do you say? W-would you want to, like, go out with me?" Sera chuckled as she watched his cheeks flush red and he nervously scratched the back of his neck. He was trying so hard to be smooth, but in the end the result was just adorable in only the way Rin could master. _

"_I wouldn't be opposed to the idea…" Sera shyly smiled at the boy who shouldn't have stolen her heart, but at this point it was foolish to even attempt denying what she felt. Once again lost in her thoughts, Sera barely had time to register Rin leaning in closer to her. She came back to her senses just in time to feel his soft lips connect with hers. The fire that consumed her heart earlier spread throughout her entire body. Every sensation heightened. The warmth of his hands on her arm and cheek, the softness of his lips, the gentleness of the entire kiss. Shock was quickly overridden by desire. Her arms ached to be wrapped around his neck, her lips begged to return the affection, and for once she gave in to her body. _

Sera lightly touched her fingers to her lips. She could still feel the lingering energy from the kiss. Sighing, Sera flopped down onto her bed.

"Why him? Why me? Why all of this…"

She felt strange. Instead of feeling angry at herself, or empty because she messed up her own plan, she felt happy. Happy… a word she never thought she would use to describe herself. Unconsciously, she began to twist her rings around her fingers like the gears of her mind needed the assistance. Her logical side begged her to cut it out now and focus on getting out of this alive, but it was drowned out by her heart. The once dormant aspect of her now roared to life filling her with dangerous ideas that bordered on insane. She dropped her arms down onto her bed with a frustrated huff. Her fingers barely touched something leathery before bringing her journal into focus in front of her face.

"Maybe it's time for some things to change."

She flipped the book open and snatched a pen out of her bag making a chart that had fourteen blanks.

"Two weeks… I can make this work."

Sera smiled to herself as she edited her original plan and carefully laid out a framework for the following days. As her pen dashed across the pages, she quietly murmured to herself.

"I'm not in the habit of breaking my word. You won't be an exception, Rin."

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

Nothing could ruin his day now! Not even the massive amount of homework Yukio assigned. He actually did it! He kissed her! He chuckled to himself as he made his way back to his room, he was so nervous she would flat out reject him, but instead she kissed him back (and even kissed him again before leaving to go do all that boring homework in her room).

"Why are you smiling like the cat who ate the canary?"

Yukio glanced up at his brother curiously as he sauntered into the room looking like he won the lottery. Rin smiled a lot, but this one was different. Either he just got away with a major prank or something happened with Sera. Yukio wasn't dumb, he knew Rin and Sera were both into each other; but also were dense enough to not notice the other one's constant longing glances especially when those glances were during his class. After processing what he said, Rin looked confused for a second.

"I didn't eat any birds."

Yukio sighed and shook his head.

"It's a simile. Let me try again, what's with the smile? Did you prank someone?"

Rin chuckled and leaned against the wall. Yukio noticed a faint blush across his brother's cheeks.

It was Sera.

He knew it.

"So it was Sera then."

Rin stopped chuckling and looked dead at Yukio. His eyes were comically wide as if he thought Yukio just read his mind.

_Not your mind, just your body language. I've grown up with you, it's pretty easy to do._

"How did you know?! I didn't say anything!"

Yukio laughed at his brother's shock. It really was too easy to tell sometimes with Rin. He wore his heart on his sleeve, if his eyes weren't showcasing every thought on his mind, it was his body language.

"Well if I didn't know already, now I do. So what happened?"

Rin pouted and sat on his bed crossing his legs. All the fun was gone. He planned to make Yukio guess, maybe hint a bit then just deny it in order to frustrate his twin, but now he already knew.

"Why should I tell you? You said you already know, so you tell me four-eyes."

Yukio sighed and rubbed his forehead. Rin wanted to make this a game he could already tell. Fine, if it made Rin stop pouting then he would play along.

"I could be wrong. I thought you just finally got to talk to her. She was distant for awhile."

Rin's eyes looked down to the floor at the reminder of the girl's behavior after the attack, but before Yukio could panic and try to cover up his apparent slip Rin perked back up and stuck his tongue out at Yukio.

"Nope! Guessed wrong four-eyes! I'll give you a hint because I'm so nice. I'm no longer single."

Yukio's jaw dropped a bit. How did Rin manage to get Sera from being distant and unresponsive to being his girlfriend? Hadn't they only been gone for a few hours?

"You and Sera?..." The open endedness of the question caused Rin to grin again just as he had when he walked in the door.

"That's right! I finally broke through to her!"

Yukio smiled at his brother. If anyone could get through to that mystery girl, it was Rin. As happy as he was for his brother, an uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach. Something seemed off, but he couldn't place exactly what it was.

_I'll just keep an eye on everything, just in case. _


	18. Days Left: 13

_Hey everyone! Enjoy the new update, please R&amp;R, it'll make my day better because I may be dying over my finals. Hope y'all enjoy some fluff too;) Xoxo-Silver_

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_Days left: 13_

Yukio didn't want to give his brother the credit for getting Sera back on track with her work, but he couldn't deny the results. Her grades were skyrocketing again, she was staying awake in class and even getting along with the other students again. It made him feel good to see her reconnect with everyone again.

"Yo, Yukio!"

Rin barreled down the hall only to skid and barely avoid knocking his brother over.

"Yes, Rin? What is it?"

His brother rarely asked anything of him, unless it was for homework/test answers (that was an everyday question, no matter how many times Yukio said no).

"So, I was wondering, we can leave the campus right?"

Yukio was going to give the typical answer of "no", but the sudden shift in Rin's body language stopped him. He seemed hesitant to ask, like something was making him nervous. Was he planning something?

"Possibly, though I'm curious why you would need to leave when everything you need it here."

Rin scuffed his shoes on the ground and looked up at his brother, those bright blue eyes swarmed with excitement, but also a hint of apprehension.

"Well… I kinda wanna take Sera somewhere nice… so I thought going to the city would be cool."

Ah. Yukio understood why Rin seemed so nervous, he was honestly trying to impress Sera.

"Hmm… I guess. I'll have to ask Mephisto, you are a big target to many demons outside the school's barriers."

Rin's shoulders slumped down as Yukio brought up the cold facts he would rather forget. Yukio didn't want to be stuck in this position, but he also didn't want his brother getting himself into reckless situations, not to mention the girl herself was a secret skinwalker. Which reminded Yukio, he still never got that cleared with Mephisto.

"I'll see what I can do. If Mephisto says no, you can always take her to one of the bridges and watch the sunset."

Rin raised an eyebrow at his brother's suggestion. He would never admit it, but that did sound like a good idea. Sera seemed to love the sky and how it changed colors, the way her eyes got all wide made her look pretty cute…

"You telling me you're a closet romantic, eh four-eyes?"

Yukio stuttered and pushed his brother.

"No! That's just what I hear the girls in class talk about. That's all!"

Rin couldn't help but laugh as his brother's cheeks turned pink. So girls liked sunsets, huh? Well, if they couldn't head to the city and cause a commotion, maybe giving the sunset thing a try wouldn't be too bad?

"So, you wouldn't mind asking Mephisto? I wanted to try to surprise her tonight…"

Yukio watched in quiet amazement the effect Sera had on Rin. One minute he was the loud, annoying brother he knew, but as soon as he thought about her he got quieter and dare he say even shy. Yukio couldn't help but smile.

_If only Father Fujimoto could see you now, Rin, all quiet and excited about hanging out with a girl._

"Sure, I was heading over there anyways."

"Thanks! I owe you one, bro!"

Yukio chuckled and hollered after Rin as he ran off.

"Just do your homework for once!"

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"You're asking me what? I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right. You want your brother, the son of Satan that has all of Gehenna nipping at his heels, to be able to go off campus with a girl? For a date?"

Yukio sighed at Mephisto's dramatics. Was it necessary to act all concerned? He was the headmaster, not the father of either student. Unless there was another card at play here. From experience and what he was told beforehand, Mephisto was not someone to trust at face value, "once a demon, always a demon" they told him. The jester may look insane, but he was too cunning and always had an ulterior motive.

"He wanted me to ask for him. It is just for a few hours, you could send a watch after them for all I care."

Mephisto floated in place and crossed his legs as he pondered the idea.

_Send them out and have to worry about my impatient brother snatching our Prince up prematurely and foiling my plan or send them out and watch this entire beautiful catastrophe unfold? Well, I always love a good Shakespearean tragedy. _

"Alrighty, I accept! I'll watch over them myself!"

Yukio stared at the headmaster in shock. For real? Mephisto himself was going to play the protective parent role on his brother's date? Yukio raised an eyebrow, he was certain the clown had another card up his sleeve.

"Why so eager? This doesn't seem like a role befitting the headmaster."

Mephisto puffed out his chest to hide the gleam in his eye. Yukio was good, but Mephisto was much better. A new player can't hope to best the one who created the game.

"I take pride in knowing my students personally, besides I deeply care about the safety of each and every student!"

Yukio rolled his eyes. There was no way for him to get the truth out of Mephisto, he wasn't ranked high enough in the Order to call his bluff, and honestly he would prefer Mephisto then just some random exorcists who were barely told what was going on. Although…

"On one condition Mephisto."

The jester paused for a second. A condition? Those just made the game more fun.

"You can't interfere with them, unless they are in danger."

Mephisto smirked and held his hand out to shake on the terms. He didn't want to meddle in the cursed love affair, he just wanted to watch as it spiraled out of control one way or the other. Secrets were the best kindling. And this pairing had the potential to be a raging inferno.

"Deal."

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

Mephisto laughed from above as he watched the pair walk down the dimly lit alleyway. It was amusing to watch the two of them interact. One second they were relaxed and joking, the next they were shy and quiet. As if they were dancing and only occasionally knew the steps, but were too afraid to take the lead where the other left off.

"So I take it this isn't a time I can play with them?"

Mephisto rolled his eyes, irritated at having to take his eyes off the entertainment to stare at his green-haired brother.

"No. I told you this isn't the time. This is a show we have the pleasure to watch, don't ruin this. You'll have plenty of time to play later."

Amaimon perched himself on the rooftop and peered down to watch them.

"What are they doing? It seems pointless."

"This is romance, one of the finer things Assiah has to offer."

After watching his brother for some kind of reaction, Mephisto sighed and rolled his eyes. Of course his sibling had no appreciation for the fine things this measly world had to offer, he only cared about "playing" and ruining his lovely campus. The Demon Kings drifted along lazily as the pair below remained blissfully ignorant to their presence. Amaimon drifted off a few times, not finding the enjoyment out of watching these two hold hands or whisper something to make the other blush. It wasn't fun at all, it was absolutely boring, but he could never say anything since Mephisto would shush him every time he opened his mouth.

"Why are you enjoying this so much, brother?"

Mephisto's eyes glinted dangerously and his smirk in the dim light looked menacing.

"It's always fun to watch a story unfold when you know exactly how ruinous the ending is."

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Sera never thought the city was interesting before. Granted that was mostly because she was unceremoniously deposited on one of the streets before she found her way to the academy, but with Rin by her side, everything seemed to be bathed in a new light. The fire she felt in her heart the other day was still burning away fending off any cold breeze from the darkened city. In all honesty, she stopped listening to Rin's wild tales and stories a while back. They were intriguing and she was sure to remember them all without a problem, but it was more fun for her to watch how his eyes lit up at certain parts or how he squeezed her hand to emphasize a point. Every exaggerated gesture, every change in his tone and pitch moved her farther and farther away from reality. There were no plans, no demons, just her and Rin talking and walking around a beautiful city and neon stars that hung from buildings illuminated their path.

"You okay, Sera? You're doing the staring thing again. I mean not that I don't mind, I know I'm hot and all."

Sera laughed along with Rin before shaking her head trying to move herself back into a coherent state of thought.

"No, no, I'm fine. Sorry, I was just thinking… but yeah, I guess I can say you're hot, just don't let it go to your head. Your ego seems big enough as is."

Rin slowed their pace and curiously looked into her eyes.

"What's up?"

"Oh… it's just…" _Well, are you gonna say it? It'll feel good, but do you know what you're doing? _"I really liked this...it's the first date I've ever been on." _This honesty thing doesn't seem too hard..._

Rin's smile put the neon stars to shame. Seeing Sera shy but actually talking about herself was the best thing ever. It was way better than the super fancy food he saw at the school earlier, and that's saying a lot.

"Sweet! I mean, it's kinda the same for me too, being on a date and all."

_So we are both clueless, but still going forward? Is this what it is to be in this world? Charging headfirst into the unknown without a single fear? Well, might as well embrace it then._

Sera waited for the silence between them to settle in before closing her eyes slightly and giving in to these new feelings. She leaned forward and brushed her lips against Rin's, feeling him tense underneath her hands. Leaning forward to deepen the kiss, she felt Rin respond eagerly and pull her closer. It was gentle at first, as if both parties were searching for something, then Rin's hand cupped her cheek and her lips parted of their own accord granting him access. After exploring each other's mouths gently, the two of them pulled away from each other blushing furiously with large grins on their faces. For the entire walk back, Sera wasn't sure if they were walking or floating on air. Her thoughts swirled around her head as her heart tried to remember what a normal beat sounded like. As the pair parted for the night, Sera couldn't stop smiling. _If this is what it feels like every time,_ _that needs to happen more._


	19. Days Left: 12

_I'm so sorry for not posting more. I am working more hours than I expected and got lectured every day before Christmas by relatives who thought I wasn't spending enough time with them. I'll do as many as I can coming up! Hope everyone had a great holiday! Xoxo- Silver_

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_Days Left: 12_

Sera stared into the mirror as steam filled the room behind her. Having a bathroom all to herself was a blessing, no one had to see the scars that littered her back or her mind. As the steam crept across the surface of the glass, she watched her reflection go blurry before disappearing entirely.

"If only reality were as easy as just wiping the surface…"

Her bare hand slowly pressed against the cool glass and slid across the surface leaving a trail behind that revealed only shining violet eyes. She glared into those eyes staring back at her, they felt alien, there was nothing familiar about them, it felt wrong. A blur of black in the background caught her eye forcing her out of her thoughts, causing her to spin quickly and search the bath behind her for whatever was with her.

"I saw you...show yourself."

She waited with bated breath, her hand creeping towards the daggers hidden under her discarded clothing and jewelry. One minute...two minutes...three minutes...still nothing.

_I know I saw something...Didn't I? I'm not going crazy! Am I?..._

Sera sighed and shook her head slowly, it could've just been a flicker in the lights. Writing off the blur as paranoia, she moved back over to the bath and sunk back into the warm, welcoming water, letting the steam flood her rotten lungs and the water trail through her long ebony hair. The warmth spread across her skin easing her mind slowly as she toyed with her rings on the the edge of the bath.

"Twelve days left...and no Christmas at the end of it all…"

As she slid down further into the hot water, she failed to notice the black eyes in the mirror staring down at her…

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_A few hours later…_

It was a day off from classes, but Sera knew that who she was looking for would still be inside the room and if not there the library. Konekomaru was always learning something new, and for that she envied him. Free time spent learning instead of panicking and wondering when death was going to snatch her up. As she pushed the door open, her eyes landed on familiar red glasses barely visible over a large book. Sera quietly made her way over and sat across from his gently tapping his book to alert him to her presence.

"O-oh hey, Sera, what are you doing here?" She couldn't help but chuckle at his tone. He was so small compared to everyone else, even she was taller than him, but he had her respect. Even at a height disadvantage, he could outperform most in their class. Plus, his skills with seals were the pride of their class.

"I was actually looking for you. I need you to teach me about seals. Like how they work and all that." She smiled gently, partly because she knew he wouldn't refuse her, but also because she was getting better at asking for help. As he heard her words he perked up as if she had just handed him the greatest gift in the world.

"You want me to teach you? Sure, any seals in particular?"

Sera bit her lip for a second and toyed with the ends of her hair carefully picking her words.

"Ones to deal with rot. I've been curious about the whole thing since we learned about it in class." Violet eyes studying every inch of the smaller boy across the table from her to see how much he believed her. His nod was enough to assure her that he wasn't too suspicious of her, but she still kept her guard up.

"Okay, those aren't too hard, here we can start with the basics."

As Konekomaru moved some books around and set out some papers to draw on, Sera quickly moved over to sit next to him. Little did she know that across the library Yukio was watching her curiously. After multiple failed attempts, several new pieces of paper, and soothing words of encouragement from her new teacher, Sera tried once more carefully focusing on her work Konekomaru clapped as Sera finally made the perfect seal. She stared down at her seal, memorizing every line and curve as Konekomaru spoke to her. She felt the seal almost pushing against her body as if she was constantly losing her breath and having it forced down her throat.

"There you go! Now just place that somewhere and it will keep the rot away. Just make sure it stays in place and doesn't get broken."

Sera slowly picked up the seal and felt her skin crawl. The mere sensation sent ideas flooding through her mind.

_The rot is inside me...if just touching this makes my skin crawl, what would happen if it was part of me? Could it cut off the connection or just send me into a world of pain?_

Her eyes slowly ventured over to Konekomaru and she hesitantly asked,

"So these seals are meant to keep the rot at bay, but what if it is placed on something with rot already in it?"

It was a high stakes gamble, either he would catch on to something, or he would just answer her thinking she was being extra academic. She prayed for once to come off as an academic.

_Please don't get suspicious...I have too much to lose…_

Konekomaru looked down in thought, adjusting his glasses as his brain tumbled with her question. Soon, he slowly opened his mouth and answered with, "I don't know…"

Sera was crushed. It was too much to hope for an answer already. The situation she found herself in probably never happened before, or at least not in the way she was facing it.

"Oh…"

Konekomaru quickly noticed her crestfallen expression and tried to recover.

"I-I mean, it can always be tested. We could maybe ask Yukio for assistance with it." The thought of asking Yukio made Sera go pale immediately. He was already suspicious of her, she knew, she felt it. There was no way she could get out of that one easily. If he became too suspicious everything would fall apart...

"N-no! I mean, no, he would just get mad at me. Maybe you can, just keep it between us, okay? Please? I'll owe you big time."

Violet eyes pleading with brown, Konekomaru slowly nodded.

"Oh okay, sure, I'll ask him for you. It can stay between us."

Sera sighed in relief as she gently pat his shoulder. With a quick "thank you", she packed up her things and quickly left the library heading straight for her room. Guilt tearing at the very back of her mind with every step.

_Hopefully, you'll never know why…you're too good to get caught up in this. If only I could tell you to run, run far far away from here. You and everyone else..._

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By the end of the night, Sera's room was overflowing with copies of the seal. Crumpled pieces of paper littered the floor, each a glaring reminder of the monster nipping at her heels with every breath.

"Twelve days, two-hundred and eighty-eight hours, and I still feel like I'm on the edge of ruin and chaos."

Sera let out a sigh and slumped against her desk as she crossed out the twelfth day on her calendar.

_I can do this… I have to do this…_

Her long, delicate fingers trailed across her desk and each seal drawn slowly and carefully by hand picking at the edges of the paper; she watched the light glint off each of her rings then slowly closed her eyes as exhaustion slowly took over her body.


	20. Days Left: 11

_I'll keep this short. My break was non-existent. Between family time and work, I couldn't get any free time to write something worthwhile. I'm sorry for the delay, but here is an update. Enjoy my lovelies! Xoxo- Silver_

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_Days Left: 11_

_She stepped out of the darkness, white dress gleaming as if she were an angel. The soft, warm light that seemed to radiate from her helping to push that theory. Crystal blues eyes begging...but for what? Sera suddenly looked down at herself, dingy black clothes riddled with tears...and dried blood. Whose blood was this? Was it her own? Where was she? Questions pounded against her head with no answers. Only one thing was clear to her, she had to look up. Violet eyes slowly looked up to meet with the crystals. The slowly shifting world of gray and white around them froze as if it were holding its breath to see what would happen. Black to white, bloody to pure, violet to blue, yin to yang, staring at each other not to issue a challenge, but as if trying to cross an all too familiar barrier._

"_Who are you?..." Sera nearly reeled back at how light and airy her voice sounded. It was as if the air around the two of them spoke for her. Though the crystal blue eyes just stared deeper into her own as the question remained in the air. Feelings of unrest, unease and familiarity stirred within Sera._

"_D-do I know you?" She needed answers… this felt all too real, all too familiar. She tried to reach out to the girl in white, to touch that delicate, lightly tanned skin or the soft, silky dress that hugged the other's body or maybe the midnight hair that framed her beautiful face. Something about her tugged at Sera's mind, begging and pleading to be heard, but it couldn't cut through the white noise. Her hand rose slightly only to freeze by her side, unable to move closer to the girl no matter how hard she tried to force it. Sera quickly looked down to see her hand wrapped in dark, shadowy vines. The thorns digging further and further into her darker skin with every struggle._

"_Please...free me…" Sera begged the crystal blue eyes across from her. Desperation pulled at her heartstrings, fear clawing its way into her mind, she needed this girl to help her, to free her. The pain of the thorns finally radiating through her body causing her to only struggle more against their dark hold._

"_Please! I don't want to live like this anymore!" Tears stung Sera's eyes before slowly sliding down her cheeks as she felt her other hand slowly being entangled by the black vines. The girl in white was so close...but unmoving. The crystal blue eyes radiating the same pain that Sera felt, yet her flawless skin remained untouched by the darkness. Even as the thorns dug deeper into Sera's skin with each move, she wouldn't give up, not when those crystal blue eyes were so close, not when she had so many questions still without an answer._

"_Just tell me who you are!" Sera's voice was cracking with tears and pain, the thorns consistently draining her blood with every struggle. She didn't care what happened to her, as long as she got answers. The gentle blue eyes locked onto Sera's after a moment seeming to beg her to stop struggling. As she struggled to open her mouth to speak, Sera looked the girl over again trying to memorize every aspect of her body. Delicate, lightly tanned skin, slender hands as if they were untouched by battle but something was very wrong… the once pristine white dress and clean slender hands dripped with crimson blood...the girl's arms were bleeding. The crimson forcing a trail down her skin and onto her dress, the cause of the bloodflow hidden to Sera's eyes...but as Sera struggled against her own bonds, the girl's bleeding increased._

"_Wake up, Sera….you must continue…" Sera's eyes snapped up to the girl as she spoke. Her voice as light as the air, yet accented with a language Sera could barely place… It felt familiar, painfully so, just as the girl herself but yet again just out of the reach of her mind. But what did she mean? Sera was certain she was awake… The pain was real, the girl was real…. but was it really? As Sera desperately tried to figure out what was real and what was not, the world around her started to spin again. Black smoke rose from the ground hiding the girl in white from view before making her vanish entirely. The smoke choked Sera, causing her to cough and stop struggling. It burned her throat and lungs as if she swallowed a rotten inferno._

"_Wait! Come back!" Sera coughed out before snapping her head down as she felt the dark vines wrapping themselves around her legs. A sense of dread and panic washed through Sera. Something deep within her warned her not to get dragged down with the vines. The girl's last and only words ringing through her body forcing Sera to think rationally. She wasn't in this unknown world, she was in her dorm room at True Cross Academy. She wasn't being dragged down into the abyss by shadow vines, she was working on seals to prevent rot from spreading. She wasn't alone, Rin was just down the hall, as was Yukio…_

Sera snapped awake at her desk and fell out of her seat onto the cold, wooden floors. Violet eyes quickly scanning the room, half frenzied, half blurry then as she realized she was back awake in her dorm she let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"What the….what was that?"

She slowly pulled herself off the floor and over to her bed to look for her journal. As the leather-bound book found its way to her hands, she carefully opened it to an unknown page and wrote down everything she could remember. The vines, the smoke, but more importantly the girl. Every last detail she could remember from her skin, to her hands, to her eyes, to the hair that perfectly framed her face. Sera looked down at the description and frowned. It wasn't enough, she had to see the girl, something was too familiar for her to let this go with just words. As she carefully and painstakingly sketched every last detail of the girl she sighed in relief. There she was, now inked onto the paper next to her description. A visual that wouldn't be lost to the rotten corners of Sera's mind. As she gently put the book down, Sera stretched, relishing the pop of her joints and the creaks of her bones.

"Just another sign that I'm alive…but what does that matter if I don't have answers to all of these questions…"

She paced around her dorm, her eyes flitting from her still drying seals, to her journal, to the claw marks by her window from that night of insanity that seemed so long ago. What did the dream mean? Was it a dream or a message? Who was that girl? What language has that kind of accent to it? These questions bore into Sera's mind, not being solved by pacing but only multiplying behind her violet eyes.

"The library should have an answer…"

Resolving to find her answers within the lines of countless texts and tomes, Sera packed her bag and changed her clothes. As she slid her tank top over her head, her eyes landed on her journal still open to the page with the girl's sketch. The black and white combination not suiting the imitation. Carefully sliding the journal into her bag, Sera resolved to find a suitable blue for the eyes in the library. Looking over her room one more time and ensuring the window was locked and now sealed with one of her dry anti-rot seals, Sera left the dorm, not caring that it was entirely too early for anyone to be out and about. Then again, a thought crossed her mind causing her classic smirk to spread across her face,

_I never was exactly "anyone"..._

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Hours had passed and the sun was shining over the academy signaling a start to the day for the average person. Though Sera was already hidden away from the world behind a fortress of texts and tomes ranging from psychological dream studies to symbols of the Demon Kings and everything in between.

"Nothing can be overlooked, I have to explore every realm of possibility...I'm living on borrowed time."

With that she leaned back in her chair and began to analyze every line of text for hints or answers to her strange dream. The pages of notes growing around her as she wrote down ideas, theories, names and key terms in a haphazard fashion. She hadn't even noticed that lunchtime had come and gone, her body too focused on finding answers to worry about basic survival needs. Though a head popping over her fort made her lose all concentration and nearly her balance.

"Heya, Sera, looks like you've been here a while, no wonder I couldn't find you."

Sera looked up from her book to see Rin smiling at her from over her fortress of books. She began to assume that his hair was always in a mussed state, and his clothes would never be just right. It was a fact that made her smile internally because it was something that made him unique.

"Sorry about that, hope you haven't been looking for me long."

Rin chuckled and moved around her fortress to pull up a seat next to her, raising an eyebrow at her pages of notes and finished texts.

"Was there a test I wasn't aware of? Or a final by the looks of it?"

His genuine confusion made Sera laugh a little before shaking her head and gently patting Rin's shoulder. Her body still shivering slightly at the casual contact even when she was the one to initiate it due to the idea of letting someone else this close to her true self still slowly sinking into her mind and heart.

"No, nothing for you to worry about. This is just something I'm doing for me."

Rin's eyebrows raised a little higher and he turned to face Sera, his bright blue eyes swirling in confusion.

"You're doing all this reading for fun?! God, you must be catching some of Yukio's nerd vibes. You are so weird."

His tone was playful and light, but Sera still looked down slowly back at the text. Even his playful poke to her ribs didn't put her in a playful or joking mood.

"It isn't really for fun...I need answers for something...delicate."

She hesitated to say the last words, afraid he would ask too many questions. It was delicate, it was personal, and it angered her to no end that it all felt so familiar yet she couldn't quite place it due to the permanent fog her mind seemed forever muddled in.

"Oh. Okay, so what is it? Is there a way I can help?"

The sincerity in his voice and eyes pulled at her heartstrings. Of course Rin wasn't going to pry for answers, she knew better than that, he was going to try to help her. Slowly looking over her notes and the sketch in her journal, she turned to Rin letting him see the confusion and frustration in her violet eyes.

"If you really want to help, please help me go through all of these books and let me know if you find anything related to the brief notes in my journal."

She pointed to show Rin the notes about her dream and the girl. His eyes lingered on the sketch, taking in every detail before looking up at Sera then back down at the sketch.

"Who is she? She...she kinda looks like you…"

Sera reeled back slightly at his words before looking back at her sketch of the girl not seeing the similarities between the girl from her dream and the reflection she constantly saw in the mirror. She shook her head to deny any similarities much to Rin's dismay, but answered his first question with all honesty.

"I have no clue who she is. I am trying to find out, or at least the connection she has to my dream."

"So like if it all means something?"

"Yes, hopefully. If not, maybe there were individual symbols in my dream that could be tied together."

Rin nodded his head and grabbed a pen and paper before setting to work reading. Sera looked him over, impressed and flattered by how serious he seemed to be taking this.

As the last book was tossed into the finished piled, the duo looked upon pages of notes and theories between the two of them. Rin slowly looked over at Sera, his eyes tired from reading text after text and his stomach nearly ready to scream for food.

"So now what?"

Sera hummed in thought and started to look at some of the notes then glanced at Rin with a smile gracing her lips.

"Now all I have to do is compare our notes and simplify them down into concise notes and theories, then figure out an answer from there."

As she finished, she watched Rin's eyes fall slightly, dismayed at the idea of more work, but still intent on helping her.

"I think I can do that in my dorm later, after we go get something to eat."

At the mention of food, Rin shot up out of his seat bouncing in excitement as Sera quickly tried to pack all of the notes and her journal back in her bag. As soon as she was packed up, Rin grabbed her arm and dragged her all the way to the nearest area for food as she laughed trying to keep up with his speed. The heavy thoughts about her dream and the girl with the crystal blue eyes were pushed to the back of her mind for now.

_A few moments with him won't kill me, I do need a break before I work myself to death._


	21. Days Left: 10

_At this point, I will upload when I can, my muses are all over the place and life keeps wanting to run me over with a truck. I'm sorry, but thanks to all who stick with my various stories. Xoxo- Silver_

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_Days Left: 10_

The notes were almost enough. Everything was there, but one crucial piece was missing. Sera paced around her room running her hands through her hair as she flipped through hundreds of possible pieces to fill in the blank. The notes led her through nearly every aspect of the dream, the vines showing she feels trapped, the shifting background showing uncertainty about the future and the present, the white dress on the girl showing hope and purity, but who was she?! Some texts indicated an angel, but Sera dismissed that notion immediately. What would angels want with her? A skin-walker forced into servitude was of no concern to higher powers...if they even existed. She shook her head before she went on a tired mental debate about the existence of angels. Leaning against her wall, Sera looked at her clock and nearly collapsed right then, she had been up all night again...and to top it off she had classes today. She groaned and tiredly ran a hand through her hair, she had to at least look decent so people wouldn't question her too much...though she had the sneaking suspicion people were already questioning her choices and habits by now. As she gathered clothes to change into after her bath she sighed and checked another day off the countdown.

"Ten days left and I still feel like I'm at square one…"

Leaving her room in a rush, she completely missed the cool blue eyes watching her down the hall. Seeing the chance she gave him to investigate a little, Yukio adjusted his glasses before slowly walking down the hall towards Sera's open door. Taking a deep breath he quietly assured himself this was an okay thing to do.

"I'm just...concerned for her, and came to check up on her, the door was open so I looked in to find her….yeah, that sounds good."

Yukio quickly checked over his shoulder before slowly pushing Sera's door open more. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to the overwhelming amount of crumpled papers in the overflowing trash bin. He walked towards her cluttered desk and slowly his eyes widened at the amount of seals drawn on various pieces of paper, he gently picked up a few of the seals examining them closely.

"Seals to prevent rot...is she still concerned about that night? But why are there so many?..."

Yukio carefully put the seals down and moved a few around to reveal the calendar with the countdown on it. He stared at it for a second trying to figure out what was exactly supposed to happen at the end of the countdown, but came up with nothing. Scanning her desk slowly revealed notes about dreams, the rot and various ways to destroy it, and lore about various Demon Kings.

"She seems to be fixated on destroying any traces of rot...sounds like she never let that night go...but why?..."

He started to grow aggravated with how many new questions were popping up and how so few were getting answers. He gently opened one of the journals on her desk and flipped to the more recent entries as he started to read a cough snapped him out of it and he turned quickly to see Rin standing there in the doorway. Rin's eyebrows were raised as he skeptically looked over his brother.

"You know, I never pegged you as the type to break into a girl's room. I thought everyone assumed I would be the one, but now I'm curious. What are you doing in my girlfriend's room?"

Yukio stammered as it hit him, Rin and Sera were dating. It was official, and now he was caught snooping in her room. He quickly tried to remember his excuse from earlier.

"I-I was looking for her...and the door was open?"

He sighed in defeat as soon as the words left his mouth, that was probably one of the worst excuses he could have used now that he said it out loud. Rin wasn't pleased with his brother's words, his arms dropping to his sides and his face becoming an expression of annoyance.

"Really? And what, you thought she was hiding in that journal?"

Yukio hung his head low, ashamed at being caught and for snooping around Sera's room in the first place. Yet, there was a small part of his brain that said he was justified due to her suspicious actions and nature. Then again, he wasn't sure how much Rin actually knew about Sera….

"Rin, how much do you know about Sera?"

Clearly, Rin wasn't expecting this question from Yukio. He opened his mouth then quickly closed it, annoyance overtaking his face again but Yukio knew by looking into his brother's eyes that he struck a delicate nerve.

"Enough. Why?"

Yukio picked his head back up and grabbed one of the seals from her desk and held it up.

"Then explain why she has so many of these scattered across her desk?"

Rin squinted and slowly walked into the room gently taking the seal from Yukio's hand and looking it over. The gears in his mind trying to process what he was holding in his hands. It took a minute before Rin slowly looked up at Yukio confused.

"Is this one of those seals? Like to keep stuff away...or keep them dormant?"

Yukio nodded slowly before stopping and looking at Rin. Keeping things dormant...like the lanterns in the forest….but keeping rot dormant? The lore on Demon Kings? It couldn't be connected could it? What if she wasn't trying to keep the rot away, but instead keeping it at bay?

Rin waved his hands in front of Yukio's face as his brother zoned out thinking.

"Hello? Four-eyes? What's going on up there? Did you blow a gasket or something?"

Yukio quickly zoned back in and grabbed Rin's shoulders startling him and causing him to drop the seal onto the floor by the trashcan.

"Rin. Think. You said these seals also can keep things dormant. What if they aren't meant to keep the rot away from Sera?"

Rin stared at Yukio for a few seconds blinking as the words sunk into his head before pushing his brother off of him and backing up, shaking his head. His mind hurt, he didn't want to think of Sera having anything to do with demons. It couldn't be true...no it wasn't true. She was too smart to get involved with demons. Especially one as vicious and dangerous as the King of Rot...

"No! It's not true!...You're just trying to make her look bad because you don't like her for some reason. I'm not playing these games, Yukio."

Rin backed up to the door, ready to sprint away from his brother and the ideas he was implying about Sera.

"Rin! Think it through, she hasn't told us anything about her! It is entirely possible that could be the case. She could be very dangerous...and a traitor…"

Yukio immediately wondered if Mephisto knew about Sera. He figured the headmaster knew about her being a skin-walker, but a spy for Astaroth? If she was, something had to be done soon…his mind wandered back to the countdown and immediately millions of ideas and scenarios all in varying degrees of awful flooded his mind but the process was interrupted by Rin yelling at him.

"And you don't know anything either, four-eyes! You are just making things up!"

Rin shook his head and glared at Yukio before storming off. His head and heart ached, he knew Yukio wasn't Sera's biggest fan, but going so far to snoop in her room then call her a spy and a traitor was too much... He loved his brother, trusted him, hell, for the longest time he thought that his brother was all he had. But now... He couldn't take it. The feeling of being torn in two between listening to his brother or going with his feelings for Sera… He walked clean out of the dorms and didn't stop until he hit the forests. When he thought he was far enough away from everyone he slumped against a tree, tired of internally debating with himself with thoughts of who was right and who was wrong. He curled up against the base of the tree, not caring he was missing class, not caring about anything in the moment. He just wanted everything to stop hurting...and for everything Yukio said about Sera to not be true.


	22. Days Left: 10 Pt2

_I live! So I have a new laptop so chapters should come faster. Thank you to everyone who stuck around! I love you guys so much :D Please enjoy this new chapter and watch the countdown creep closer to 0, please review and feel free to theorize or ask questions, I'll gladly answer what I can. Xoxo-Silver_

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_Days Left: 10 Pt. 2_

Sera could feel the shift in the atmosphere of the dorm the second she came out of the bath. It felt colder and broken…something went down, but nothing in the hall indicated a physical struggle, maybe emotional? She quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts and continued to dry her hair as she walked towards her room- her now open room. Sera rushed inside and immediately picked up on the open journal and items moved around. Someone had been in here...but who? She dropped the towel on the floor by the door and rushed to her desk trying to understand the reason for the break-in, were they looking for information? It was all she had. She was a student...by day anyways, being a tormented slave of the King of Rot by night wasn't exactly a glamorous job to describe to people, neither occupation paid so stealing money was out of the question. She didn't have any jewelry, not a lot of money, not to mention she was in the dorm farthest away from everyone and only shared the entire building with two people…

"Oh hell no….I better be wrong for once…"

Sera grit her teeth as the image of Yukio slid into her mind. Her blood boiled and she felt the rot collecting at her fingertips, ready to wreak some havoc in order to express her rage. She knew he didn't like her, but breaking in was an all new low. Sera grabbed her bag and took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself as she cleaned up her desk again and slammed the door to her room shut. As she prowled out of the dorm, she could feel the huge building was empty. It felt odd, even though they had classes, Rin would usually wait around for her, or at least procrastinate on going to class on his own just because he could. Sera leaned against the main door to their dorm and sighed, rage pushed aside for now.

"I can't just rush into class and accuse Yukio of breaking into my room in front of everyone...I have no real proof, just a gut feeling...maybe if I find Rin I can ask him about it. Though...as pissed off as I would be at Yukio, I would rather know it was him than Astaroth...actually no...Yukio could-no, he would ruin everything. Screw this. Whoever did it will pay. I'll make sure of it."

She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and bit her lip as she started walking as thoughts began to swirl in her mind.

_Will this plan still work? _

_I only have ten days left, I can't stop no...but it feels wrong...I can either be remembered as a traitor...or the one who went down in flames...neither are a fate I would've chosen, but then again I wasn't normal from the start._

"I need to stop thinking! That's what I need…"

She glanced at her phone to check the time, she could still make it to class, but did she really want to sit there for hours with these emotions burning her from the inside and her tongue ready to lash out at Yukio? No, no that wouldn't be good, if she lashed out it could confirm any suspicions…

_Damn...this is getting too complicated. I'm taking a day off._

She veered off the path to class and instead started to walk through the forests. Quiet birdsong filtered through the air and the breeze gently blew her hair back as she sighed in relief.

"Skip class to relax in the forests and plan, I'm down for this."

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Rin snapped up from his spot on the forest floor as he heard footsteps somewhere nearby. He quickly scrubbed at his eyes, not wanting whoever it was to know that he had been crying.

_Crying isn't cool...but is it bad for me to want something in this world to make sense for once? Why does everything involving me have to get so complicated?!_

He carefully stood up, blue eyes scanning the area to see if he could figure out who was with him before they found him. Depending on who it was, he would either slink away or maybe...he could find an outlet for these stupid, pent up emotions? As the thought crept into his mind, he didn't know whether he wanted to see Sera walk by so he could talk to her and prove Yukio wrong, or Amaimon just so he could pick a fight and stop thinking for a bit.

_Thinking takes too much energy...I don't know why Yukio likes to do it so often._

He crept around the forest slowly getting closer to the foreign footsteps, judging by how they were still on the ground and not spouting nonsense that ruled out Amaimon, much to Rin's annoyance. Yet, the idea that he could talk to Sera alone made his heart beat a little bit faster. She would tell him that Yukio was wrong and she was a nerd, or something like that, and then everything could go back to normal. They could go to class and mutter under their breath, pass notes, maybe even team up for the next exorcist mission. The more he thought of that scenario, the more he wanted it, although the more he imagined it, the less observant he was to the footsteps that instead of being in front of him, were now steadily creeping up behind him.

"Boo!"

"AH!"

Rin jumped in the air and spun around as Sera was laughing behind him, leaning against the tree with a smirk dancing on her lips. He frowned and crossed his arms as she laughed.

_Great, get caught by the girl you were daydreaming __and_ _scream like a girl when she sneaks up on you. Good job, idiot._

Once Sera stopped laughing the smirk grew on her face as she crossed her arms.

"Don't worry, Rin, I won't tell anyone you screamed like a girl or jumped about five feet in the air."

Rin rolled his eyes at her before dropping his arms and smiling slightly at her. She seemed to have that effect on him.

"Yeah, yeah, glad to know you're on my side. Would hate to see you use that blackmail for evil."

Sera's violet eyes looked down for a second as the smirk died on her lips, Rin tensed up at the sight. Oh no, he messed up. Did he say something wrong? Was she going to say she was an enemy? Rin shook his head slightly to clear thoughts and doubts planted there by Yukio. He needed to believe in Sera, he had to trust her, that's what relationships meant, right?

"Yeah...Rin, do you trust me?"

Rin bit his lip as her violet eyes sadly looked up at him searching his face for an answer as she waited for him to confirm what she felt she knew. Despite Yukio shaking him this morning and trying to plant doubts in his mind, Rin still trusted Sera deep down, even though it was true he didn't know much about her.

"Y-yes...yes, I do. Why do you need to ask?"

He watched her muscles in her arms tense before a thought smacked him in the face. Her room. Yukio and he both went into her room, of course she was going to notice…

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! That's probably why she is asking! Though...I only went in there because Yukio was in there snooping… I can still explain myself to her!_

Sera sighed and dropped her arms before looking Rin right in the eye before plainly speaking.

"Someone was in my room this morning and was snooping around my journals and notes, though, I don't remember telling anyone they were allowed to do so. I know it wasn't you because you are actually respectful, but your brother is a different story...I know he doesn't like me, and I don't want to straight accuse him...Did Yukio break into my room? Be honest."

As Sera finished speaking she watched Rin, waiting with bated breath for his reaction. If it was true, she would probably need to leave, her emotions drove the rot, and if she lost her cool that would be game over because then Rin would know…

"I can explain, I just need you to listen, Sera, please."

He reached out and grabbed her hand, his bright, blue eyes pleading with her.

"You just need to listen to me, Sera, can you promise you'll at least do that?"

The sight of those bright blue eyes begging her to listen forced Sera to silence her thoughts and soften her expression from growing any colder. She couldn't say no, not to that face, not to the pleading tone in his voice.

_Swallow your emotions and pride this once, and listen. You know he wouldn't beg if it were anything else._

Sera slowly nodded at Rin signaling she would listen to his explanation. The amount of relief on his face was enough to reassure Sera that this was the right decision.

"Okay, I'll be brief, so I caught Yukio sneaking around in your room earlier, he was looking for something, I-I'm not sure what exactly. He believes that you are a spy or a traitor or something crazy like that since you've been acting suspicious lately according to him...I told him he was wrong, I just...can I hear it from you, please?"

Sera wanted to scream or cry at the amount of pain and fear in those shining blue eyes she had grown to care for. He was afraid that it was true. And the worst part of all. It was. She was technically serving as a spy. And now her guilt wanted to tear her apart. She couldn't reveal her plan to Rin, especially not to him, his reactions had to be genuine, he couldn't know. But...but for once in her life she couldn't force herself to tell a lie and cover it all up.

_Plan B...I hope this works…_

Sera took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around Rin pulling him close to her in a tight hug. She buried her face in his neck and after a second quietly whispered to him.

"Please, trust me, I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. I honestly...I care about you more than I should, so now I have to ask you to trust me. No matter what."

She could feel how hard her avoidance of an answer hit Rin, but he didn't pull away. That had to be a good sign…wait, why was he biting his lip? His thinking face was on, what was going on inside of his head?

"I do. I trust you. I-I love-"

Sera cut him off right there with a kiss, though unlike the other times they shared, this one was more to silence him. Rough and forceful rather than soft and sweet. She couldn't hear him say it, it would unravel her and the plan entirely. It had to work, and she had to stay focused, she couldn't get distracted by these emotions she barely understood. The kiss was more of a buffer so she could mentally control herself and her emotions than it was for actual feeling or communication. After a few seconds, she pulled back quickly and looked away from Rin mumbling under her breath.

"Save it for a better time."

She quickly turned and started to walk away from him so she didn't have to look into those confused and saddened blue eyes. Blocked his voice out so she didn't have to hear her name being called at various tones, emotions heavy on the word. Too much, too soon, and yet she wanted more...

_He's affecting me too much, it's getting harder to think straight around him. I need to finish this plan, everything must be ready._


	23. Days Left: 9

_Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for dying! Everything has been on hold since school went nuts. Anyways, enjoy! Thank you so much to all of those who stuck with this story! Have a great day/night! Xoxo- Silver_

**_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ_**

Days Left: 9

Sera hadn't left her room since she slammed the door closed and locked it yesterday after her conversation with Rin. Journals of all types open across the floor of the room, notes flying throughout the air like confetti as she quickly made corrections, added to them or threw them out. Crumpled pieces of paper scattered across the floor like the dead on a battlefield. Sketches of summoning circles or gates to Gehenna sketched on the hardwood floors, some crossed out entirely and marked as failures, others labeled as maybe. She threw herself into her work to avoid thinking about Rin, to avoid realizing the way her heart hadn't stopped racing for a second after he started to say those words that many people longed to hear, to avoid...feeling.

"Nine days….I have to pull this off, but if they can't come through then we all go down in flames…and it won't matter what he was gonna say."

She muttered to herself under her breath multiple times as the hours ticked by. Her brain slowly reverting to being a machine focused on the mission, rather than the soft emotional mush it was becoming around Rin. The harder she worked, the more active the rot became; she could feel the rot twisting and turning inside of her, racing through her veins if she was on the right path. The worst pain came when she found the right summoning circle, the rot seized her heart and made her blackout for a few minutes. As she came to she gazed upon the sketch on the floor. The large circle had many small components and runes to it, but it was the perfect one. She could pull it off, and she knew exactly where to place it. She could feel the plan coming together in her head and as a smirk danced on her lips, she collected the notes she needed and her corresponding journals before gathering the leftover notes and useless sketches shoving them into the trashcan and lighting them on fire, opening her window, keeping the flame low and under control so the sprinklers wouldn't go off as she watched the paper trail burn away. Now she could make up any story she wanted and cover her own ass and there was nothing Yukio could do about it since all of his evidence was gone.

_Saving my own ass at the price of another, I really am a monster. But at least I'll be alive to tell the tale at the end of it all. I hope._

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

Every minute in class without Sera was a bore, but every minute in class where Yukio was lecturing about the dangers of rot was excruciating to Rin. He would glance over to say a smart-ass comment under his breath only to be greeted by the empty chair beside him and the memory of her silencing him with a kiss that had none of her usual passion behind it. Something was up. He may not be book smart, but he knew how to read body language, Sera's body language especially, better than anyone else. Whenever something was weighing on her mind heavily, she would quiet down and would stare off into space with her eyes going glassy. Or if she was stressed she would distance herself and be constantly be writing in her little journal. He knew most of her habits, but it still seemed like most of her was a mystery. Every time Rin learned something new about Sera, eight new mysteries surfaced. It was frustrating, but oh so tempting. He loved her. He was going to tell her, but she didn't let him. It was a blow of epic proportions to his ego and self-esteem but in that moment something clicked. He replayed the moment over and over in his mind during class.

'_She asked me to trust her...no matter what...she's super stressed about something and skipping classes...her dorm is now locked ever since Yukio and I were in there...what is she hiding? Is there something going on that she knows of that we don't? Does Yukio know? No...he doesn't seem any different...Wait...I can't assume she is hiding something...that makes me just as bad as Yukio...I have to trust her...I told her I would…but is it bad that I just want her with me? Something is making her suffer...I just want to help…"_

A book slamming closed snapped Rin to attention and jolted him out of his thoughts so suddenly he fell to the floor in a heap as Yukio rolled his eyes.

"Maybe next time, you should be paying attention during class and not daydreaming."

Rin growled in annoyance as he sat back in his seat and looked around the room. No one else seemed as bothered as he was by Sera's growing absences. They all seemed to be just going about their daily routine without batting an eyelash.

"_Then again...they don't care about her like I do…"_

Rin glanced around the room before staring out the window and biting his lip as his thoughts ran away again. Sera was all that was on his mind. Questions flooded his mind, was she okay? What if she was sick and needed help? What if something else was really going on? Was it his fault because he was the son of Satan? Did she get hurt by someone who was after him? After trying to pay attention to class and failing multiple times Rin just packed up his books and left in the middle of Yukio's lecture. He didn't care what his brother said to him, he didn't care about his grade. He just had to clear his head. And it wasn't going to happen sitting in a classroom. He aimlessly walked down the halls, not caring where he ended up but once he tuned back into his surroundings he noticed all the practice dummies around him and small ranges.

"The practice room...well, if I can't think my way through my problems, why not burn them away?"

He dropped his bag on a nearby bench and pulled out his katana and sighed in relief as he felt the flames roar to life around him and the blade as he stared down a practice target and charged it, channeling all his questions and frustrations on to the dummy and with each hack and slash of the blade he felt his mind easing as time slid by. Once the twentieth dummy lay destroyed on the ground, Rin sighed and shook his head as he sheathed his katana and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'll trust her. I love her, so no matter what, I'll trust her. Don't worry, Sera. I'll stand by you no matter what is going on...I promise…"


	24. Days Left: 8

**Hey guys! Long time, not type! Been forever, I know. But in short, lots of stuff has changed in my life, for good and for bad. Hopefully I can be back for a while and really get this story rolling again. Cheers to those who remember this story and may come back! I love you all so much, if anyone has time please drop an R&amp;R. I could use anything to keep me going, thanks! Xoxo- Silver**

**Days Left: 8**

Sleep was a foreign concept to Sera by this point. Closing her eyes was a waste of time and only allowed her mind to wander farther and farther away from her task. She stared at the journal on her bed and sighed.

"One task down, eight days left, and I still am racing to the finish line."

She paced around her room once more, the walls around her feeling like a self-imposed prison, but the alternative was much worse. Outside of that door waited the most difficult challenge, Rin. His shining blue eyes breaking Sera's walls down and his words melting her now beating heart. It was too much. She hated hearing him slowly walk past her door and sigh every day like clockwork, hoping she would come out of her cave. The sheer loneliness and fears were killing her, but she knew, for their safety she had to stay inside. There was too much to lose.

"So this is how you spend your days? Locked away in a not-so ivory tower? My, I've seen people go out in a blaze of glory for much less."

Sera jumped and gasped at the sound of a voice behind her, but as her mind caught up with her fears, the dawning realization settled and she could only groan. Mephisto.

"You know, women tend to lock their doors to keep creeps out."

"Oh so rude, my dear!"

Sera rolled her eyes and leaned against her desk as her violet eyes studied him. Still appearing as a cheery jester, Mephisto smiled at her and floated above her work; the smug grin on his face already starting to boil her frayed nerves. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? She had a feeling he knew what was going on, so why the ploys? Why the secrecy? She was in no mood for games.

"Spit it out, clown. Why are you here?"

"To see how your little plan is going."

Her eyes widened for a second before narrowing as the wheels in her head started to turn. If Mephisto knew, that means either Yukio got too suspicious and tried to pry answers from him, or the deadly alternative was that her plan was out and her death was only moments away.

"What plan?"

The Demon King laughed and smiled at her as his eyes glinted. He knew exactly what she was planning, but it was more fun to watch her squirm and try to hide it. Oh humans were so much fun in his eyes!

"The one that has one of my dearest exorcists in a tizzy! Poor Yukio came to me raving like a mad man about how you are a skinwalker and planning to become a traitor. Now isn't that silly?"

Sera clenched her jaw and growled quietly. He knew exactly what buttons to press with her. Mephisto knew the bad blood between Yukio and Sera, and he loved to just toss it into the conversation.

"Silly? More like a waste of my time. I won't repeat myself. Spit. It. Out."

Mephisto chuckled at her tone, but watching her body language start to change into a more feral stance made him raise an eyebrow. To the Demon King, it was becoming clear how little sleep she had been getting, and how close to the edge she was. She was on a shorter than average fuse, and this time bomb could ruin everything.

"Alright, alright, I won't play games for once. I just wanted to give you a heads up that your secrets are slipping out one by one. How many more do you have left, dear girl? Enough to last until the end of your countdown?"

"I have more secrets than truths. Now let's be clear here, Mephisto, my work is to not be interrupted."

"Oh? Now you are making orders?"

"It is my one condition."

"Conditions? My, my, now you are speaking my language."

Sera smirked slightly and looked him over. She knew he couldn't resist games. With a deep breath, Sera looked at Mephisto and ran a hand through her tangled hair.

"Yes, that is my one condition. No matter what, you can not interrupt my work, or let others interrupt. And I mean _anyone_."

Mephisto's eyes shimmered as he caught on to her tone and hidden message as he giggled. This was going to be more fun than he originally planned. The show kept getting better and better.

"And how do you want me to keep people from interfering?"

"Any way you can. I will give you free reign for that one."

Soon the Demon King smirked at her and bowed before leaving her alone in her room as the purple smoke cleared; after clearing her lungs, she sighed and sat on her floor staring at her pages of notes. Everything she had boiled down to those sheets of paper and her journal. For her own sake, she prayed to whoever would listen that this plan worked. If not, the alternative would make death look like the easy way out,

"Time to start the hard part...seven more days to go."

Sera grabbed her daggers and her bag filled with her notes and journals as she slung the bag over her shoulder and looked over her room quickly before sneaking out of the dorm and vanishing into the darkening sky.


End file.
